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Mistaken amputation
Alleged fraud to hush up negligence
Several civic action and health rights groups have appealed to the Health Minister to conduct a full probe and pay compensation to a mother whose healthy leg was amputated through a case of mistaken identity and criminal negligence at the Negombo hospital.

The woman Sithy Nazeera, a mother of four and breadwinner of the family is now lying crippled and helpless while some Negombo Hospital officials are allegedly trying to cover up the negligence by deceptive means.

The Asian Human Rights commission, the Peoples Movement for the Rights of Patients and the Rule of Law, Human Rights Centre are among the groups, which have petitioned Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to conduct a full probe.

They have sent to the Minister and other authorities including the Sri Lanka Medical Council an affidavit from Ms. Nazeera telling how she became a cripple due to this medical negligence.

The mistaken amputation took place at the Negombo Hospital on March 1 but was hushed up for several weeks till the civic action groups dug it out and highlighted it in the media. According to the AHRC and the PMRP the most shocking development in this episode took place on Thursday. A person claiming to be from the Negombo Hospital came to Ms. Nazeera's house and asked her to sign a letter written in Sinhala.

It said: "I am suffering from diabetes. I went to the Negombo hospital to get treatment as my illness aggravated and the wound emerged on my left leg and I was admitted to the hospital.

The illness could have become fatal and the doctors of the Negombo General Hospital worked to save my life by amputating my leg below the knee. If my leg was not amputated from below the knee at the right time, I may have died.

I did not have any objection to the amputation of my left leg and I expressed my consent verbally. Since the operation my health has improved. Thus I state my consent for the amputation of my leg and I am making this statement of my own free will”.

A blank space was left for Sithy Naseera to sign but after consulting her family she refused to sign it. The civic action groups obtained the photocopy of this letter and have urged the authorities to probe this alleged fraud and deception which compounds the medical negligence.

Though the hospital authorities are trying to hush up several benefactors have offered to provide an artificial leg to Ms. Nazeera and assist the family in other ways.

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