Parents blame Kerala hospital for 'negligence' after 9-year-old girl's fractured arm amputated

Thiruvananthapuram: A nine-year-old girl in Kerala lost her right hand following a suspected case of medical negligence.

An inquiry report by the state health department that reportedly denies any medical negligence has triggered allegations of attempts to protect the doctors.

Vinodini, daughter of Vinod and Praseetha hailing from Palakkad district, suffered a fracture on her right hand in a fall on September 24. The plastering was done at the Palakkad district government hospital.

Though the girl complained of pain, doctors who who treated her maintained that blood flow was not affected and hence there was no cause for concern.

By September 30 foul smell started emanating from her hand and she was once again taken to hospital. By that time the hand had got infected and had to be amputated.

The girl is currently undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of the Kozhikode medical college hospital.

The girl's mother Praseetha said that the doctors did not treat the wound on her hand and applied a plaster over it. This could have caused the wound to become infected and damage the girl's hand.

She also said that even as the girl complained of pain, the doctors maintained that it could be due to the fracture only.

The girl's parents and social worker Kulathoor Jaisingh have petitioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to seek action against the doctors.

Jaisingh said that the circumstances in which the girl's hand was amputated should be also probed as it was a matter of concern that a child who suffered minor injuries lost her hand.