Hours after a patient raised allegations of implanting the wrong iron rod in his fractured hand during surgery, the authorities of the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) here have come out vehemently denying the charge.
Ajith, 24, from Kothipalam in Kozhikode had alleged on Sunday morning that the doctors did not use the iron rod he had purchased on his arm for the surgery held on Saturday afternoon, and that the rod implanted was actually meant for another patient who had a fracture on his leg. He and his mother pointed out that Ajith felt uncomfortable after the surgery upon which an X-ray of the arm was taken. “The orthopaedician in charge then realised that there had been a mistake, and that the wrong iron rod was used. He suggested performing a second surgery to replace the rod, which we did not agree to. The doctor became angry and said it was our choice whether to do a second surgery or not,” Ajith told reporters here on Sunday. The family has filed a complaint with the Medical College police.
Ajith was hospitalised with a minor fracture on his left arm following a motorbike accident on May 11. The family also alleged that the surgery was delayed without a reason.
However, Dr. Jacob Mathew, the head of the Department of Orthopaedics at the MCH, denied the allegations. “We have carried out the routine procedure for such cases. There has been no mistake, and there is no need for a second surgery,” he said.
“The patient had a fracture below the elbow, and we made an implant after proper check-up. Since the joint below the fracture was loose, we had to implant another rod close to the skin. It is a temporary one that needs to be removed after four weeks, but the first implant will remain within the body,” Dr. Mathew said. He urged the public to understand the facts before raising allegations that could tarnish the image of the institution.
