Rajasthan doctor operates on wrong leg of woman, faces action

The incident took place at the state government-run Mathura Das Mathur Hospital. The administrative action against the doctor came amid uproar caused by the major blunder.

In Short

• Woman had fractures in both legs, only right leg surgery planned
• Surgery done on April 27, error discovered after the operation
• Enquiry found supervisory negligence by Dr Ramakishan Chaudhary

A doctor has been removed from duty after an elderly woman was operated on the wrong leg at a government hospital in Rajasthan's Jodhpur. The incident took place at the state government-run Mathura Das Mathur Hospital. The administrative action against the doctor came amid uproar caused by the major blunder.

Champa Devi (66) had been injured in a fight and was admitted to MDM Hospital. Though the senior citizen had sustained fractures in both legs, the doctor determined that she only needed surgical intervention for the right one.

Subsequently, the operation was conducted on April 27. However, after the surgery, it was realised that the surgeons had operated on the wrong leg. An enquiry committee was formed by the hospital administration to look into allegations of negligence after the incident made headlines.

Now, following the panel's report, Dr. Ramakishan Chaudhary, Associate Professor of Orthopaedics, has been relieved of his responsibilities at the MDM Hospital and transferred to the Medical Education Department in Jaipur to await posting order.

The action came after the committee found, prima facie, supervisory negligence on his part. Initially, Dr Chaudhary tried to assert that the woman needed an operation on both legs as both of them were fractured and that the right leg would eventually be operated on.

However, the probe committee has ruled that negligence was indeed what led to the blunder. The panel has held that the case resulted from non-compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

- Ends
(Based on inputs from Ashok Sharma)