NHRC issues notice to Health Ministry over amputation case

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Health and Delhi government over alleged carelessness of doctors at some city hospitals that led to amputation of a boy's leg.
The Commission took suo motu cognisance of a media report narrating the ordeal of 10-year-old boy Bilal, who was made to run from one big hospital to another for treatment of a foot injury.
"The contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim," the NHRC observed.
Accordingly, notices have been issued to the Secretary at Union Health Ministry, Secretary in Health Department of Delhi government, Commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation and Secretary of Delhi Medical Council seeking reports within two weeks.

"They have also been asked to specify steps taken for the identification of quacks practising in Delhi, action taken against erring doctors as well as details about the scheme, if any, framed for providing ex-gratia relief to victims of medical negligence," said the statement by the Commission.
According to media reports, a piece of glass had pierced Bilal's foot on May 1 and he was taken to a quack in Sangam Park, Rana Pratap Bagh colony in Delhi. His injury was stitched without extracting the piece of glass. But he had to be taken to the emergency ward of Hindu Rao Hospital as his condition was not good.

A further X-ray in the OPD revealed glass in the foot. However, it was only after three days at the hospital that the glass piece was finally taken out from his foot. This caused infection for which no treatment was provided and the patient was transferred to Lok Nayak Hospital, where he was initially refused admission but later kept for two days and then discharged.
Thereafter, his family members took him to a hospital in Meerut where his foot was amputated in order to save his life.
Taking a serious view of the matter, the Delhi Medical Council has suspended the registration of four doctors of the two hospitals, Hindi Rao and Safdarjung and a case was also registered against the quack.