Months after a 22-year-old techie in Hyderabad underwent a limb-lengthening surgery to 'increase his height', the Telangana State Medical Council (TSMC) held the surgeon Dr G Chandra Bhushan guilty and slapped a two-year ban on him.
On April 5 this year, Nikhil Reddy, who stands 5.7 feet tall, wanted a height enhancement of two inches. He spent close to Rs. 4 lakh on the surgery and thereafter was in a lot of pain. He had left his home without informing anyone and gone ahead with the surgery. By the time the family located Nikhil with the help of police, the surgery had been over and Nikhil was in great pain. His father had then told The News Minute (TNM) that he would not be able to walk for 6 months.
However, Global hospitals maintained for a while that it had done no wrong.
"Patient Mr. Dheeraj has been fully explained about the risk, cost of treatment and due consent was taken from the patient and treatment given...the hospital in no way is legally bound to check the credentials and background of the patient unless anything suspicious is noted...The patient is an adult and employed and consulted the doctor for surgery,” Chief Operating Officer Dr. Shibaji Chattopadhyaya had earlier told TNM.
At one point, Nikhil, who continues to be bed-ridden at home, even wanted to stop the treatment.
When news of the operation became public, the TSMC had taken suo motu cognizance of the case.
"The TSMC's Ethics Committee decided to debar the surgeon from practising for two years as the surgeon (Dr Chandra Bhushan) is found to have violated ethical norms on three important counts by performing a cosmetic limb-lengthening surgery on young Nikhil," the Times of India quotes Dr E Ravinder Reddy, chairman, TSMC as saying.
Nikhil's father S Govardhan Reddy told TOI, “Only 10 days ago, his wounds developed infection after he climbed a few stairs as advised by his doctor and is bedridden again. He will continue to need the services of an orthopaedic expert and physiotherapists,“ he said.
The council has reportedly asked Global Hospitals to continue treating Nikhil till he recovers physically.
Meanwhile, seven other doctors who were associated with various surgeries in the state have been given stern warnings or have had action taken against them, by the council, after patients were injured or maimed for life.