IT’S GOING to be double trauma for nine-year-old Saifi Khan, who will now have to undergo another surgery after undergoing one on Friday last. All thanks to the negligence of the doctor who performed the first surgery.
Dr Manoj Kumar Asthana had performed a minor surgery on Saifi at Nishat Hospital here to drain out pus from his chest. The procedure involved making an incision in the right side of Saifi’s chest. Following the incision, a tube was inserted inside the chest to drain out pus accumulated there. But a blade also found its way in along with the tube and got lodged in Saifi’s chest.
Meraj, uncle of Saifi, said on Sunday that Saifi complained of chest pain following which an X-ray was taken at the Nishat hospital itself. The film showed the surgical blade embedded near the third rib of the boy, that’s quite high in the chest.
“We were just shocked and worried and asked Dr Asthana. He told us that the surgical blade was kept there for a purpose. I went to a doctor known to me in KGMU, and he called it a serious case of negligence. When we confronted Dr Asthana, he admitted the lapse and assured us that the surgical blade will be retrieved,” said Meraj.
Dr Asthana could not be contacted. Nishat Hospital’s doctors’ in-charge Tauseef Ahmed admited that the incident happened and that it was unfortunate. But he refused to admit it to be a case of negligence. “Dr Asthana is a competent doctor. It’s not a case of medical negligence but a rare mishap,” he said.
He also said: “There is nothing serious about it. We will localize the surgical blade and through another operation will take it out. It’s simple. The hospital will bear all the expenses this time.”
Dr Asthana could not be contacted. Nishat Hospital’s doctors’ in-charge Tauseef Ahmed admited that the incident happened and that it was unfortunate. But he refused to admit it to be a case of negligence. “Dr Asthana is a competent doctor. It’s not a case of medical negligence but a rare mishap,” he said.
He also said: “There is nothing serious about it. We will localize the surgical blade and through another operation will take it out. It’s simple. The hospital will bear all the expenses this time.”
Saifi, who had been running fever and complaining pain in chest, was first taken to Dr SK Mehendiratta, who referred the case to Nishat Hospital, where it all happened. Saifi is son of an advertiser Shouaib Khan. While the relatives are contemplating action against the doctor and the hospital, all that Shouaib wants is an early operation to retrieve the surgical blade.