NHRC seeks reports on boy who lost his leg

Union, state health depts told to reply in two weeks

The NHRC has sought reports from the Union Health Ministry and the Delhi Health Ministry within two weeks in a case of medical negligence in which a 10-year-old boy had lost his leg.

The National Human Rights Commission has also given the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation two weeks to respond.

The DMC recently suspended two doctors from Safdarjung Hospital and two from the corporation-run Bara Hindu Rao Hospital after they were found to be negligent.

Deccan Herald had first reported on June 17 last year that Aman, 11, underwent an amputation after being first taken to a quack and then not receiving timely treatment at the two hospitals.

The child’s parents took him to Meerut where he underwent an amputation. On July 31, DH reported that the doctors would be suspended for a month. 

The Commission has now asked the Health Departments and the DMC for details on steps being taken to curb quacks in the city.

The DMC officials have repeatedly claimed that the police don’t cooperate with them during raids. The quacks open clinics right after the raids in connivance with police, officials allege.
The NHRC has also asked if any compensation would be provided to the victim.

The case raises the issue of human rights violation as the victim was denied treatment due to carelessness of the doctors in government hospitals who turn away patients without examining them properly, observed the Commission.

On May 1, Aman was taken to an illegally run local clinic after a two-inch glass piece penetrated his leg.

The quack bandaged the wound instead of removing the glass piece.

Bara Hindu Rao doctors took out the glass piece almost five days later.  He was then referred to Safdarjung Hospital, where the authorities gave the parents an estimate of Rs 5 lakh for the amputation, the child’s parents had alleged.

The boy was then taken to Meerut where the surgery cost the family Rs 1.5 lakh.

Although the DMC has passed the suspension order, a senior official said the doctors have a month to appeal against it.