Suhail Dar
In yet another case alleged medical negligence, the doctors at Government Medical College of Anantnag cut the tongue of a minor girl instead of operating upon the cyst on her lip.
The family, from Khargund, Chowgam area of Qazigund in Kulgam, arrived at the hospital on Saturday, February 15, hoping for a straightforward procedure to remove a cyst from their daughter’s lower lip.
However, they were devastated when they discovered that the doctors had instead operated on her tongue tie.
“We were told that it was a simple procedure to remove the cyst. But when she came out of the operation theatre, we were shocked to see that her tongue tie had been cut instead,” said the girl’s mother, her voice trembling with anger and disbelief.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, she said, “This is sheer negligence. How can such a mistake happen?”
They also alleged that the OT staff misbehaved with them when they raised concerns about the mix-up.
Expressing her frustration, the mother told The Kashmiriyat, “Not only did they operate on the wrong part, but when we tried to question them, the staff behaved rudely with us. They showed no empathy for our situation. We demand strict action against those responsible.”
When contacted, Dr. Amir Yousuf, Head of the ENT Department at GMC Anantnag, downplayed the incident, stating that the child already had a tongue tie that needed to be addressed. “It is not a serious matter. The patient had both the tongue tie and the lower lip cyst, and both needed to be removed for her to recover fully,” he explained.
Dr. Amir acknowledged the discrepancy in the OPD ticket but maintained that there was no negligence involved. “Unfortunately, the OPD ticket only mentioned the removal of the lower lip cyst. But medically, it was in the best interest of the patient to have both issues addressed,” he said.
The family, however, said that they had consulted doctors earlier, who had told them of this specific cyst removal. “They didn’t mention the tongue,” said the mother.
Regarding the allegations of misbehavior, Dr. Amir assured that an inquiry team has been constituted to look into the matter.
“If any staff member is found guilty of misbehaving with the attendants, strict action will be taken. We are committed to ensuring a respectful and supportive environment for all patients and their families,” he stated.
He also urged the public to cooperate with the medical staff, emphasizing that advanced facilities are available at GMC Anantnag for the benefit of patients.