Kerala boy with nose ailment gets operated for hernia; doctor suspended

When Danish returned from the operation theatre on Tuesday with a heavy bandage on his stomach and a free nose, his parents suspected something was wrong and made inquiries with the hospital staff.

The Kerala government on Wednesday suspended a senior doctor of Manjeri Medical College Hospital in Malappuram for performing a surgery on a seven-year-old boy for hernia instead of getting his nose treated.

Hospital superintendent K Nandakumar said it was a serious lapse and similar sounding names had led to the incident.(FILE PHOTO)

The victim, Muhamad Danish, was admitted to the hospital for an operation to remove polyps from his swollen nose. At the same time, a six-year-old boy Dhanush was also admitted to the hospital for hernia surgery. When Danish returned from the operation theatre on Tuesday with a heavy bandage on his stomach and a free nose, his parents suspected something was wrong and made inquiries with the hospital staff. They got to know about the two patients, who had similar sounding names.

Initially, there were many attempts to cover up the incident. When his parents questioned the doctors, they said Danish also had a hernia problem. Luckily, the nose surgery was not done on Dhanush. Later, both Danish and Dhanush underwent their respective surgeries without any mix-up. The parents of Danish filed a complaint against the erring doctors.

State Health Minister K K Shailaja has ordered an inquiry into the incident. “We have suspended the doctor who performed the surgery. It is a serious error. Action will be taken against more people after getting the inquiry report,” the minister said. Hospital superintendent K Nandakumar said it was a serious lapse and similar sounding names had led to the incident. Later, the police also registered a case against the doctor who performed the wrong surgery.