In a bizarre case of medical negligence, a surgeon at a government-run hospital in New Delhi is alleged to have mistakenly drilled a hole into the right leg of a 50-year-old patient who had been admitted to the hospital with minor head and face injuries after a car accident.
A senior surgeon at the Sushruta Trauma Centre, however, is reported to have confused Vijendra Tyagi with another patient bearing a similar name, 'Virendra' who, too, was admitted in the same ward with a fractured leg.
According to PTI, the surgeon in question later allegedly tried to cover up his fault by tampering with the patient’s medical records.
Medical Superintendent at the Centre, Ajay Bahl told AFP the patient could not even object to the wrong procedure as he was under anaesthesia.
"The surgeon realised the mistake and removed the pin in corrective surgery. He also apologised for the error but we took strong exception and acted against him.”- Ajay Bahl
A committee set up to investigate the matter has reportedly taken a disciplinary action against the concerned doctor for "negligence".
Hospital authorities told reporters that the doctor has been removed from his post and is no longer entitled to operate without supervision following the incident, which took place on the morning of April 19th.
This is, however, not the first time that the Delhi government’s trauma centre, which was established in 1998 to provide critical care to accident victims, has made headlines.
In 2012, four critically ill patients died in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit because the oxygen supply had suddenly stopped.
The incident caused widespread public outcry which triggered a high-level probe into the matter.
