Negligence costs boy his leg, 4 docs barred for a mth

NEW DELHI: Delhi Medical Council on Friday barred four doctors—two each from Hindu Rao and Safdarjung hospitals—from practising for the next one month. They were found guilty of medical negligence that led to the amputation of a 10-year-old boy's leg.
Family members of the patient, Bilal, have termed this move "meaningless". "One month's suspension is nothing.They will join work again. But my child has been left handicapped for life. I want job guarantee or compensation for him," said Reshma, the child's mother.
The family lives in Sangam Park area in north Delhi. According to DMC, on May 1 last year, a 2.5-inch long piece of glass had pierced the boy's left leg, leaving a deep cut in it. He was first taken to a quack, who stitched the wound without any diagnostic investigation.
The child continued to cry in pain after which his parents took him to Hindu Rao Hospital around 2am on May 2. The doctors on emergency duty dressed the wound and asked him to go home though the x-ray clearly showed the presence of the glass piece inside the skin.
"The doctors left the glass piece inside, which led to infection in the wounded arteries. He was taken to the hospital again on May 3 after they realized the mistake. Though the glass piece was removed, the infection had aggravated already. He was then referred to Safdarjung Hospital," said Dr Girish Tyagi, registrar, Delhi Medical Council.
At Safdarjung, the doctors did not admit the patient. "The patient was attended by a resident doctor who referred him to a vascular surgeon. A CT angio was also done at night to assess the damage. Still, the patient was told to visit the OPD for further consultation," Tyagi added.
Finally, his parents rushed Bilal to a private hospital in Meerut where the doctors decided to amputate his left leg to save him. "Shuttling between Hindu Rao and Safdarjung caused loss of precious time. The infection had turned gangrenous. The doctors in Meerut hospital tried to salvage the limb by putting him on antibiotic therapy, but it didn't help. Finally, the infected leg had to be amputated," said Reshma.
Dr V K Khurana, the superintendent of Hindu Rao hospital, said he was aware of the case. "Our doctors did their best to treat the infection. The fault lay mainly with the Safdarjung doctors. I have not seen the DMC order so I can't comment on its merits," he said. Dr Rajpal, the superintendent of Safdarjung hospital, could not be reached for comments despite several calls and messages.