Ahmedabad nurse cuts baby's thumb while cutting bandage, case filed

A police case has been registered against an unnamed nurse at a civic hospital in Ahmedabad for injuring the thumb of a baby girl while removing bandage. While the girl's mother alleged that the nurse "cut off" the thumb, the hospital said it was only injured and a corrective surgery was performed. The incident took place at civic-run VS Hospital on June 2 where the five-month baby had been admitted for pneumonia. A nurse accidentally severed the thumb of the left-hand while cutting through the baby's bandage with scissors, her mother Farhan Banu alleged Wednesday. The thumb was reattached through a surgery on the same day but doctors said they were not sure it the surgery would be successful, she claimed.

The doctors also asked her to take the baby to a bigger hospital, Banu said. "We are daily wage earners. We cannot afford to go to a bigger hospital. I want to see her thumb as it was before," she said. Hospital's Resident Medical Officer Jitendra Parmar said an inquiry will be conducted and action will be taken against the responsible nurse. He, however, maintained that the thumb was not severed but only injured. It was stitched up, and such wounds heal quickly in babies, he said.

A First Information Report was also lodged against the unnamed staff of the hospital under IPC section 337 (causing injury by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and probe was on, said an official of Ellisbridge police station.

The poor healthcare situation in India is exposed time now and time again. Recently, in a shocking incident, a cleaning staff was caught on camera doing the job of a nurse at Koratagere Government hospital in Karnataka’s Tumkur. The incident came to light after the video shot by the patient’s attendant went viral. Talking to News Nation, District Health Officer Dr Chandrakala said that the administration has taken cognizance and the ‘ayah’ has been removed with immediate effect. An inquiry has been constituted to look into the circumstances that led to such a lapse.