A 60-year-old man attending to his injured son at a Rajasthan government hospital almost had a surprise operation, thanks to his name. Jagdish's son Manish was admitted to the Government Medical College in Kota after an accident. Doctors said his leg would have to be operated on.
Jagdish, who has suffered a stroke and has trouble speaking, came to the hospital on April 12 -- the day of the surgery -- to attend to his son. Manish was wheeled into the operation theatre and Jagdish sat outside, waiting for the surgery to end.
While he was sitting outside the operation room, some healthcare staff from the cardiothoracic and vascular surgery department called out a name, 'Jagdish'. The elderly man raised his hand and he was promptly taken to another operation theatre.
Following his stroke, Jagdish has trouble speaking and he struggled to communicate that he was not a patient and was only attending to his son. The healthcare staff put a dialysis fistula -- a surgically created connection between an artery and a vein to facilitate blood access for dialysis treatments -- on Jagdish's left arm. At this point, the operating doctor entered the room and pointed out that the health staff had the wrong man. The procedure was terminated and the cut in Jagdish's hand was dressed.
Manish's left leg is now in a cast and he is recovering in a hospital ward. His father, Jagdish, comes to visit him with a bandaged hand. "My father was taken outside when I was taken for the surgery. When I was brought out of the operation theatre after surgery, I did not see him. I was brought to the ward and I told the staff that I didn't find my father. Someone said he has been taken for an operation. I asked what operation, he is with me," Manish said, adding that the hospital authorities must take action for those behind this mix-up.
The hospital administration has now ordered a probe into the matter. Dr Sangeeta Saxena, Principal of the medical college, said, "As soon as I was made aware of the procedure, I asked for a three-member committee to be set up that would investigate the matter and submit a report within 48 hours."
