Court asks hospital to explain amputation of child's leg

New Delhi, May 13 (UNI) The Delhi High Court has asked state-run Safdarjung hospital to explain the shocking story of medical negligence that led to a one-year-old child having his foot amputated.

Taking suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report, a division bench of Justice T S Thakur and S N Agrawal asked the Hospital and the Union Government to file their replies by August 3 on Jai, whose leg had been amputed because of alleged midical negligence.

The court also appointed Jubeda Begum, an advocate, to assist the court in the matter.

A newspaper here had reported that due to alleged negligence by the the doctors at the orthopaedic Department in the Hospital, the right leg of Jai had to be amputated on March 5.

Jai broke his leg in January and his father Ram Babu, a tailor by profession, took him to the hospital for treatment.

The doctors at the hospital plastered the leg of the child below th waist. The leg was so tightly plastered that a sensitive nerve got pressed, leading to insufficient blood supply, alleged the preliminary report.

On January 21, we noticed boils and immdiately rushed to the hospital, said Pushpa, Jai's mother.

When the plaster was cut open, his leg was covered with boils.

The skin on the leg turned red and started peeling off, said Pushpa.

To the horror of both the parents, on February 21, the right foot of the child almost detached itself from just below the ankle.

''I was horrified. I cried and pleaded with the doctors to save my only son,'' said Pushpa.

Jai's leg had to be amputated on March 5 below the ankle leaving him crippled for rest of his life.

''It happens. It is a common thing in orthooaedic cases. Every card issued to the patients bears a note saying that if they notice a boil or any sign of blood blockage, they should inform us,'' said the doctors to the parents after their repeated pleadings.

The newspaper reported that Dr Shitij of the hospital reportedly said, ''Jai suffered because his parents did not inform us in time.'' Refuting the allegations, Ram Babu told the newspaper that as soon as he saw a boil peeping out of the plaster, he rushed his son to the hospital on January 21, but the doctors did not take proper care of him.

''I went to all the senior doctors, but they refused to meet. I went to the Medical Superintendent's office, but I was told he would not meet me. A senior official asked me to fight it out in the court if I had the money,'' narrated Ram Babu expressing his agonising experience.

The poor tailor, who earns Rs 2000 per month, has already spent more than Rs 40,000 on his son's treatment.

He has lodgged a criminal complaint of medical negligence against the doctors, but the police were yet to initiate any action.

UNI