A doctor at a government-run hospital in New Delhi performed surgery on the leg of a patient who was admitted to the hospital with a head injury, reported The Times of India.
Vijendra Tyagi was admitted to the Sushruta Trauma Centre in the city’s Civil Lines locality with minor injuries on his head and face, which he sustained in an accident. The doctor at the clinic mistook Tyagi for another patient, named Virendra, who was admitted in the same ward with a fractured leg.
On Thursday, the doctor drilled a hole on Tyagi’s right leg to insert a pin, PTI reported. “As the senior resident performed the procedure on the patient after putting him on anaesthesia, the patient did not feel anything,” said Ajay Bahl, the hospital’s medical superintendent. It is a minor procedure that is performed under local anaesthesia.
Tyagi’s son Ankit told the daily that the surgery took place around 9.30 am on Thursday and within a few hours a corrective procedure was performed to remove the pin. The family has decided not to pursue or seek legal recourse against the doctor.
Bahl said a committee that had been appointed to look into the incident concluded that the doctor was at fault. “We have transferred the doctor to Lok Nayak Hospital, where he will work under supervision,” DNA quoted him as saying. “He is banned for the time being from doing any surgeries, but we are still investigating.”
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