JEYPORE: An alleged case of wrong diagnosis and faulty lab reporting at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Jeypore has left a 62-year-old woman and her family in severe emotional distress.
Saraswati Patnaik, a resident of Jeypore, was admitted to the DHH on Saturday after complaining of weakness. According to her family members, her condition was stable and she was undergoing treatment in the general female ward. The attending doctor advised routine blood tests at the hospital laboratory.
Later in the evening, a duty doctor reportedly informed the family that Saraswati’s platelet count had dropped to a dangerously low level of 25,000. The doctor allegedly declared her condition life-threatening and advised immediate transfer to SLN medical college and hospital (MCH) at Koraput for platelet transfusion.
Family members claimed they requested a recheck of the test results as the patient showed no critical symptoms. However, the medical staff allegedly refused and insisted on an urgent referral. Shocked by the development, the relatives spent the entire night arranging blood donors, anticipating the need for platelet transfusion at the MCH.
On Sunday morning, Saraswati was shifted to the MCH and admitted for treatment. Doctors there conducted fresh blood tests, which revealed her platelet count to be 1.31 lakh - well within the normal range. Declaring her condition stable, the doctors discharged her later in the evening.
Saraswati’s son Sisir Patnaik said, “We were told that my mother’s life was at risk due to extremely low platelet count without proper clinical examination. The report and diagnosis at DHH turned out to be completely wrong, causing immense mental and physical trauma to our family. We demand an immediate inquiry into the incident.”
Chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Koraput RN Mishra acknowledged the seriousness of the matter. “Such errors should not occur. An inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the facts,” he said.