Doc's assistant extracts infected tooth, 4 more

In an incident reflective of the state of affairs of government hospitals in Uttar Pradesh, a woman lost her four good teeth after they were extracted by a dental assistant along with the infected one.

According to the reports, the dental hygienist, who was not supposed to perform any surgery, carried out the extraction of teeth as the dental surgeon was not on duty.

The shocking incident occurred at the district hospital in Baharaich, about 200 kilometres from here, on Wednesday.

Reports said 45-year old Madhuri Tewari, a resident of the town, had been having severe toothache for the last few days. On Wednesday, Madhuri reached the district hospital to get her teeth examined by the dentist.

Since the dental surgeon was not there, the dental hygienist offered to treat her for Rs 200 to which Madhuri readily agreed. After examining her teeth, the hygienist told her that the infected tooth would have to be extracted.

During the surgery, however, the hygienist extracted four other good teeth along with the infected one. Madhuri alleged that there was excessive bleeding from her mouth after the extraction. “The hygienist panicked and returned me my money, and asked me to go somewhere else,” she said.

The family members of Madhuri have demanded stern action against the hygienist.

The district health officials said it was a serious matter and assured to look into the matter. “We will probe into the matter and take action against the hygienist if found guilty,” said a senior official.

Earlier also, there have been reports of patients being treated by the ward boys and assistants in the absence of doctors at government hospitals in UP. In some instances, the ward boys and sweepers performed surgeries on the patients even in the presence of the doctors.