CHENNAI: A toddler Mohammed Mahir lost his left arm due to "medical negligence" at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), his parents said.
The toddler, who was reportedly a premature baby and weighed only 1.5 kg, according to a Tamil News Channel Puthiya Thalaimurai, underwent treatment at the hospital for Ventriculoperitoneal shunting (surgery to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cavities (ventricles) of the brain (hydrocephalus)) in May 2022.
The toddler also had issues including bleeding in the brain.
As a result, on June 25, the toddler's parents, hailing from Ramanathapuram district, brought the toddler again to the hospital as they found Mahir's Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt not working properly. The hospital authorities kept the toddler under observation for a few hours and at around 9 pm the same day, he was shifted to the operating theatre by the doctors.
After a three-hour procedure, the boy was shifted to the general ward, where the parents alleged that no doctors and only a nurse were posted to monitor the patients.
A few hours later, his fingers turned black following which the mother approached the nurse on duty.
The mother alleged that the nurse did not attend to the toddler. Slowly, the infection spread and part of the hand (till the wrist) turned blue. It was only after the condition worsened that the nurse intervened. The next day, examining his condition doctors said that they have to amputate the arm to save his life. Subsequently, the boy's arm was amputated.
Mahir's mother, who met the reporters at RGGGH on Sunday demanded action from the part of the government for medical negligence. She said that what happened to her child no child should go through.
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Subramanian further added that a three-member team has been constituted to investigate the incident and submit a report at the earliest.
"We will take strong action if a lapse on the part of the doctors is discovered. I have sought the panel to submit the report at the earliest," he said.
Meanwhile, the Hospital authorities denied the allegations saying that the boy had compartment syndrome, which limits the flow of blood and oxygen to muscles and nerves in the area. They also said the boy was born prematurely and had many health complications.
It may be noted that two doctors at the government hospital were placed under suspension in November last year, after an aspiring teen footballer in Chennai allegedly died due to medical negligence, days after one of her legs was amputated.
The girl, R Priya, underwent knee-related surgery at the government hospital following a ligament tear in her right leg. But due to complications following the surgery, she had to undergo amputation at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).