The parents of a little girl have levelled allegations of wrong treatment and medical negligence against the doctors of the orthopaedic department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Mozaher Ahmed, the five-year-old girl’s father, lodged a complaint on Monday with CMCH director Brig. Gen. Shahidul Gani, demanding a probe. The patient, Waheda, was admitted to CMCH’s orthopaedic department after she sustained injuries on her leg when a pick-up van hit her on August 24. The doctors amputated the lower part of her left leg that day itself. Later, on September 17, they operated on her left hand, and removed the lower part of the hand, including the wrist.
Accusing the doctors of negligence and wrong treatment, Dr AM Kazi Muhammad Harun-ur-Rashid, a relative of the patient, told The Independent that Waheda had not sustained any injury on her hand. It was clearly mentioned in the patient’s file that when she was admitted to the hospital, she had injuries on her left leg, he said. “Injury elsewhere was not mentioned in the hospital documents. Sensing trouble, the doctors concealed the old documents, and forged papers mentioning hand injuries,” alleged Dr Rashid, who is an assistant Professor in the department of Arabic at Chittagong University. “Waheda is at risk now. She is a victim of wrong treatment. Exemplary punishment must be meted out to the doctors responsible for the incident, after conducting a fair investigation into the matter,” Dr Rashid said. In the formal complaint, Mozaher Ahmed mentioned that a channel was placed on her left hand and the doctors mistakenly put it on the soft tissue. As a result, the hand became swollen, due to the injection. An operation was again conducted on the child to bring the injected water out of her hand. Finally, her hand had to be amputated. Replying to the allegation, Brig. Gen. Shahidul Gani said they have already formed a probe committee to look into the matter. Waheda is now undergoing treatment at the orthopaedic department in the hospital. Mozaher Ahmed works at a meat shop while the girl’s mother, Mariam Begum, is a homemaker from Chanpur area under Banshkhali upazila in Chittagong.