CM assures all help to woman wrongly diagnosed with cancer

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Wednesday assured all help to a woman who was "wrongly" diagnosed with cancer and subjected to chemotherapy at a government medical college hospital at Kottayam.

The woman, hailing from Alappuzha district, wassubjected to chemotherapy treatment at the hospital on the basis of a report from a private laboratory where her sample was tested.

"I met the chief minister and sought his help. He assured all medical assistance.I also asked for strong action against those who are responsible for the wrong treatment," the woman told reporters here.

Sources from the chief minister's office told PTI that the woman met Vijayan at his office in the Legislative Assembly complex and he assured her all the help.

State Health minister K K Shailaja had earlier ordered an inquiry into the allegations that the middle-aged woman was subjected to chemotherapy treatment at the hospital on the basis of a report from a private lab where her sample was tested.

According to the woman, she had undergone treatment at the general surgery department of the hospital on February 28 for a lump on her breast.

Her samples were taken and sent for testing at the hospital laboratory as well as a private lab.

Chemotherapy was started immediately after the doctors at the oncology department of the hospital received the report from the private lab, which said she had been diagnosed with cancer.

However, the report from the hospital lab came two weeks later and it said it was not cancerous.

Chemotherapy was immediately stopped and the oncology department referred her back to the general surgery department where the lump was removed through surgery.

The samples tested at the private lab were again tested at the hospital laboratory as well as a lab at the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC).

The reports from both the labs confirmed that it was not cancerous.

Subsequently, the woman complained to the Health Minister about the incident and health issues including serious side-effects she has been facing after the wrong treatment at the hospital.

The minister has ordered the government medical college principal to probe the case and submit a report.

The woman had also registered a case with the Kottayam police against the two doctors and the private lab.