Kerala: Doctors mistakenly perform surgery in tongue instead of finger of a 4-years-old

financialexpress.com:

Due to the doctors’ negligence, a 4-year-old girl underwent tongue surgery instead of the intended procedure on her finger. The mistake came to light when the family discovered cotton stuffed in the child’s mouth after the surgery, prompting them to investigate further.

The accident took place at the Government Medical College Hospital where doctors mistakenly performed surgery on the child’s tongue, originally scheduled for surgery to remove a sixth finger on her hand at the Maternal and Child Care Centre of the hospital.

Health Minister Veena took immediate action upon learning of the incident, directing the Director of Medical Education to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a comprehensive report.

The child remains hospitalized, and her family intends to file a complaint with the police, seeking accountability for the grave error. The family emphasised the need to prevent such incidents from happening again at the Medical College Hospital, stating that the child had no prior issues with her tongue.

Additionally, the family urged the hospital authorities to take responsibility for any adverse consequences resulting from the mistaken procedure. As per PTI, hospital authorities attributed the error to scheduling surgeries for two children on the same date.