SHC rejects ‘useless’ medical report on amputation of 12-year-old boy’s arm

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over the report of a medical board that was constituted to investigate the cause of gangrene to a 12-year-old boy whose right limb was amputated due to negligence of a private hospital during treatment.

“It is strange that six doctors were appointed for the medical board and despite having expertise and the required qualification, they failed in tracing the cause of gangrene, and only extended sympathy to the patient,” stated the SHC’s division bench.

Headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, the bench made the observation on a petition of the child’s father, who had challenged the medical board’s report and sought action against the private hospital.

Petitioner Rehan Ahmed said that his 12-year-old son Hamza was taken to the Razia Medical Complex in the Landhi area on June 20, 2019 due to body ache and fever. He said the boy was administered an intramuscular injection in the right arm by the facility’s staff.

Ahmed said the boy complained of severe body ache and so was again taken to the hospital, where an injection was once more administered to him intravenously through the dorsum of the right hand by the duty doctor.

He said his son felt severe pain in the right limb and blisters appeared on his right arm, but the hospital staff did not pay any attention to his condition and removed the drip injection.

The father said the boy was later taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi’s trauma centre, where the duty doctors explained to the family that a septic reaction had occurred.

He added that due to a high risk, his son’s right limb was amputated on June 22 and he had to undergo a series of operations as well.

The provincial health department constituted a special medical board headed by Prof Amjad Siraj Memon of the Dow Medical College to investigate the case of Hamza, who lost his limb due to mismanagement during treatment by the private hospital.

The medical board, however, did not submit its findings and concluded that it was impossible to medically pin down the cause of gangrene, so the members of the board expressed sympathy with the patient but could not charge anyone with the responsibility.

The court said that such a report has no legal sanctity and rather shakes the confidence of the people. Expressing dissatisfaction with the report, the court termed it useless.

The bench said that it would be appropriate to take some action on such an evasive report that made the entire purpose of the medical board redundant and an exercise in futility.

The court was informed that the Sindh Health Care Commission (SHCC) had recommended imposing a fine of Rs500,000 on the hospital and taking disciplinary action against the duty doctor who treated the patient.

The SHCC director’s counsel sought time to file a report as regards whether or not the case against the doctor be sent to the Pakistan Medical Commission.

The petitioner’s counsel said that despite the SHCC’s inquiry report, the medical board of the health department had cleared the hospital of negligence, and so requested the court to set aside the board’s report and direct the health department and the SHCC to take action against the private hospital.

The bench directed the owner of the Razia Medical Complex, namely Dr Ghulam Mohammad, to appear in person along with the list of doctors, nurses and technical staff working at the facility, as well as summoned the duty doctor and the nursing staff who advised injecting and injected the boy.

The court also directed the health secretary to appear in person and ensure the appearance of all the six members of the board — Prof Amjad Siraj Memon, Prof Abu Talib, Prof Maratib Ali, Prof Foad Ali Moosa, Dr Fahad Tariq and Dr Mohammad Ajmal Mughal — on January 28.