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The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) has come out against the Health Department after two doctors from the Palakkad District Hospital in Kerala were suspended over alleged medical negligence on Monday, October 6. The two doctors identified as Dr Mustafa, a junior resident doctor, and Dr Sarfaraz, a junior consultant, were suspended by the Health Department for alleged negligence in treating a 9-year-old girl, which led to amputation of her arm.
The 9-year-old, Vinodini from Pallassana, was brought to the Palakkad District Hospital on September 24 after she fractured her forearm. She was treated for fracture and plaster cast was applied. By September 30, the blood circulation in her arms was affected and swelling had increased. The doctors at the district hospital then referred her to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, where her hand was amputated.
The District Medical Officer (DMO) in Palakkad had appointed two doctors to look into the case. The reports submitted by them on October 5 said there was no medical negligence on the side of doctors. But the girl’s parents have countered this claim. “They did not remove the plaster and check when we informed them about the injury. They were very much aware of the injury. The reports are all lies,” Vinodini’s mother Praseeda told Asianet News.
District Hospital Superintendent, Dr PK Jayasree told the media that doctors had treated the injury. “There are records stating that medicines have been used to treat the injury,” she said.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) has flayed the health department and has called for revoking the suspensions.
The parents of the girl, however, held the doctors responsible for the plight of their daughter who lost her arm. The Health Department which examined the reports by the DMO found violation in protocols, as the injuries on the girl’s hand were not recorded.
The KGMOA has refuted this claim stating that there is no document which shows proof of violation of medical protocol and called the move to suspend the doctors as “unjust”.