Kerala health minister Veena George on Monday, June 10, acknowledged the medical negligence at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, where a 4-year-old girl, who was admitted for Polydactyly (the condition of having more than the normal number of fingers or toes) was subjected to an operation on her tongue without the consent of her parents.
Responding to a question in the Kerala legislative assembly, Veena George admitted that an error occurred on the part of the doctor and that immediate action was taken.
Right after the surgery, which took place in May, the child's parents alleged that their daughter’s finger remained unoperated while she had cotton in her mouth, indicating a tongue surgery.
After the allegations came out, the Hospital officials responded that the four-year-old had a condition called tongue tie, and the tongue surgery could benefit her. However, they admitted the mistake of not obtaining consent from her parents.
Condemning the medical negligence, the minister added that the government will not tolerate such errors that could endanger the lives of patients. She also said the action had been taken against the doctor on the same day itself. Minister says there were attempts to create an impression that such medical negligence is common in government hospitals. However, compared to the previous Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF) government the lapses are fewer now.
She also added that, after considering an isolated incident it is not the proper way to judge the entire health sector and the practitioners.