Doctors at Kozhikode Medical College, Kerala, have come under scrutiny after allegedly performing surgery on a four-year-old girl’s tongue instead of her finger, which was the intended procedure. As a result, authorities have suspended the doctors involved in the surgery amid the growing controversy surrounding the incident.
According to the girl’s parents, the doctors admitted the girl to undergo surgery to remove her sixth finger. However, during the operation, the doctors performed surgery on her tongue instead. The parents allege that when they questioned the doctors, they claimed to have diagnosed a cyst inside the girl’s mouth, justifying the need for tongue surgery.
Simultaneously, the family rejected the doctors’ claim, asserting that there was no issue with the girl’s tongue, and they labeled the doctors’ negligence as ‘shameful’.
A family member stated that hospital authorities informed them that the surgery on the girl’s tongue was a mistake, as two children were scheduled for surgery on the same day. Following this incident, anger swept across the state. Subsequently, State Health Minister Veena George suspended Dr. Bijon Johnson upon receiving a report from the Director of Medical Education. Additionally, the Minister has instructed hospitals to strictly adhere to surgery and other medical procedure protocols.
Simultaneously, the police registered a case against the doctor based on the complaint filed by the girl’s family under sections 336 and 337 of the IPC. Meanwhile, opposition leader VD Satheesan condemned the incident and voiced concerns about the declining quality of medical services in the state.
