Hyderabad: Girl loses leg due to ‘negligence’, doctors booked

Hyderabad: The leg of a six-year-old girl had to be amputated due to alleged medical negligence at the Neelima Hospital, Sanathnagar, a family has alleged.

A criminal case has been filed against the doctors of the hospital at the Sanathnagar police station, based on a complainant filed by the parents of the girl, Akshara.

The police has referred the case to the Telangana State Medical Council and is awaiting a report to proceed further in the case.

According to a Sanathnagar police official, Akshara’s father Chandrasekhar, a private company employee, filed a complaint on May 25 stating that the leg of their six-year-old daughter had to be amputated because of medical negligence.

According to the complaint,  Akshara suffered an injury on her right leg when a wooden cupboard fell on it on May 13 at their residence in BK Guda, SR Nagar. Her parents rushed Akshara to Neelima Hospital where the duty doctors provided emergency medication and bandaged her leg.

Akshara was discharged the following day. After she returned home, she complained of severe pain. Her parents again took her to Neelima Hospital but got no relief. They then went to other hospitals but to no avail.

The parents finally got Akshara admitted to Kims Hospital, where doctors evaluated that her leg had become badly infected and needed amputation.

Asked about the case, Balanagar DCP P.V. Padmaja told Deccan Chronicle, “A case of criminal negligence has been registered against the doctors at Neelima Hospital. A case under Section 338  (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC has been booked.”

She said Akshara’s parents alleged that the girl was mistreated by the doctor which led to her losing her right leg.

“The case is under investigation and letters have been addressed to the TS Medical Council to conduct an inquiry into the allegations,” she said.

Ms Padmaja added: “We are awaiting the report from the Medical Council. The case is under the investigation and will be charge-sheeted.”

The doctors against whom the case has been booked claimed that they had provided proper treatment to Akshara but the situation went out of control. “We assured them that we will get the patient treated by other specialist doctors. However, they took their daughter to different hospitals,” a doctor said.