The Hindu : New Delhi News : Locket allegedly left inside baby’s chest by doctors

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 26, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Locket allegedly left inside baby’s chest by doctors

Staff Reporter

Health Minister orders probe, promises action against guilty

NEW DELHI: In an alleged case of gross medical negligence, doctors at the Delhi Government-run Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital reportedly left a locket inside a nine-month-old boy’s chest after an operation this past weekend.

The locket was reportedly detected after the baby was X-rayed two days later.

Little Uday was first admitted to Kasturba Gandhi Hospital on October 19 with complaints of cold, chest congestion and fever. Subsequently he was referred to LNJP Hospital where he was diagnosed with pleural effusion.

“The doctors said the boy needed an operation to drain out water and pus that had collected in his lungs. The operating doctor allegedly left the locket in the boy’s chest after the procedure was conducted. Though we had detected that the locket was missing after the procedure, we thought it might have fallen off somewhere in the hospital. Only later in the X-ray we realised that the locket was left behind in the body,” said the boy’s uncle Avdeesh Kumar.

Delhi Health and Family Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri has ordered an inquiry into the incident. “In case negligence is proved, strict action will be taken against the erring doctors,” he warned.

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