News
|
||||
Doctor's
alleged negligence: Water given for an anaesthetic eight times The letter sent by the hospital director states that the hospital was sorry for what happened and that the doctor had not read what was written on the syringe. When a knock on an office wall sent Himali, a mother of an infant, into fits of pain on the morning of August 2, arising out of an ingrown toenail, contacting the only surgeon who was available at a nearby hospital, she entered the operating theatre trusting the doctor's judgement and medical prowess. "The doctor said the surgery could be done under a local anaesthetic and injected me twice and then asked me whether I felt anything. Since I didn't feel numb, I told him that it had no effect. He continued to inject me twice more, I gave the same answer, so he injected me twice more again-by this time he had injected me a total of 6 times. When I continued to tell him that I could still feel sensation, he said there is no way that I could feel anything after 6 injections and proceeded to pull out my toenail. I was screaming with pain and clinging onto the only other person in the room, (I think an attendant or nurse) and then he injected me twice more again", Himali explained. "Since I was still screaming with pain, he looked at the syringes and then said "no wonder she has been screaming, its water", and proceeded to blame the nurses for their oversight. He injected me twice more again (this time with the real anaesthetic) and then gradually the anaesthesia started to work this time", she said. Once her nightmare ordeal was over, she was told she could even go back to work and was not told of any painkillers that she could take if the need arose. Himali had to stay at home for one week due to the pain that arose after her 'surgery'. Having complained in writing to the hospital authorities concerned regarding the doctor's medical neglect, she received a letter much later stating they were "sorry about what happened". "A few lines stating they were sorry, after two weeks of my complaint, is all I received – stating that the doctor has not read what was on the syringe! A new toenail is growing now and since the old one has not being removed properly, I have two nails on this toe now. I would have to go through the procedure again and the hospital has not even uttered a word about compensating me for the distress caused unnecessarily. I was lucky in a way since it was only water and it was a minor surgery however painful the experience. I can't imagine the repercussions if it was something more serious", Himali said. The letter of complaint written by Himali to the hospital Director stated that the doctor's explanation at the time was that the "nurses have kept the distilled water and the anaesthetic medication at the same place". It goes on to say: "In my opinion, as a doctor it is his responsibility to read what he is going to inject. What if it was not distilled water but something else? It could have had serious effects on my life". |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
