Amputation of girl’s limb: Plea seeks probe into ‘medical negligence’ by doctors of Palakkad district hospital

Kochi: A petition has been filed in high court seeking an inquiry into the alleged medical negligence on the part of the doctors of the Palakkad district hospital, in denying timely treatment to a nine-year-old girl with a fracture in her hand, which allegedly led to the amputation of the injured limb.A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar directed the state govt to file an affidavit on the petition filed by P D Joseph, a social worker from Thrissur. Joseph, in his petition, stated that Vinodini, a nine-year-old girl from Pallassana in Palakkad, was taken to the district hospital on Sept 24, 2025, after she fell and broke her right arm. The doctors allegedly applied a cast without noticing a wound near the fractured portion of the arm. The petitioner further alleged that the unnoticed wound became infected and caused bleeding.The next day, the child was again taken to the district hospital as she was suffering from severe pain, but after administering certain medications, the doctors advised the parents to bring her back after five days. However, she was later taken to Govt Medical College, Kozhikode, where her right hand was amputated as it had become fully infected.Joseph further alleged that most patients who visit govt hospitals receive proper treatment only if they consult doctors at their residences. He also claimed that some doctors charge patients Rs 400-1,000 for consultations. The petition also sought a directive to the state govt to prevent private practice by govt doctors during official duty hours and to frame standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the treatment of fracture injuries, especially in cases involving children, in all govt hospitals in the state.