Baby Loses Arm Due To Medical Negligence, Allege Parents In Chennai

The parents of an 18-month-old boy whose right arm was amputated allegedly due to medical negligence at a state-run facility in Chennai, on Tuesday demanded justice for their son.

Thasthakir Meera and Azeesa, the parents of the boy whose arm was surgically removed on July 2, said apart from the agony of seeing their son with one hand, they were anguished at being accused of taking the issue of medical lapse to the media for personal gains.

"We admitted our son at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) on June 25 to be treated for fluid collection in his brain. Both his arms were in good condition then. But we are now seeing him with one arm," misty-eyed Azeesa said.

"Instead of addressing the problem, we are being accused of seeking publicity for personal gains," her husband Thasthakir told reporters after the couple attended an inquiry by a high-level panel probing the issue of medical negligence.

The couple hail from Ramanathapuram. The boy was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. When he was five-months-old, the boy underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting.

The inquiry commission obtained their written response to 21 questions, Azeesa, accompanied by her husband and other relatives, told mediapersons.

She claimed the wrong administration of the IV cannula on her son's right arm led to complications.

"The skin around the inserted portion till the wrist turned reddish and I immediately took it to the notice of a nurse. If only the nurse responded promptly and removed the IV line on time, then my son would not have lost the arm," she said.

The hospital, however, said the boy was referred to the RGGGH from the Egmore Government Hospital to undergo an emergency ventriculoperitoneal shunt. His blood circulation became slow and he developed a thrombotic episode involving the right arm. As the thrombosis progressed, his arm had to be removed through a surgical procedure to save his life, the hospital said.

Alleging callousness on the part of the staff, Azeesa demanded justice to the wrong done to her son.

"No child should be affected and no mother should suffer a similar loss as I did. Hence, I demand justice to my son. The Tamil Nadu government should take stringent action on the staff and the inquiry report should render a befitting lesson to all medical professionals," she said.

State Health Minister Ma Subramanian had denied medical negligence on the part of the doctors or staff.

The government constituted a three-member surgeons committee to look into the alleged issue of medical lapse.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)