Three weeks later, the infant developed a mysterious fever, and had to undergo a two-hour surgery at a children's hospital
There has been plenty of traction on a report this paper carried about a Chembur resident's two-day-old infant who suffered for weeks after a clinic shockingly forgot a needle in his bottom post vaccination. Three weeks later, the infant developed a mysterious fever, and had to undergo a two-hour surgery at a children's hospital.
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The report says that the parents are going to sue the clinic, but it is equally important that the establishment conduct a fair and impartial investigation into whose negligence resulted in this travesty. The clinic needs to take action against its employees.
One does read on and off about an instrument or sponge left in a patient's stomach, or other stories of negligence. While many practitioners offer the defence that medical personnel are only human, it is absolutely unacceptable that one make 'mistakes' like these, which can threaten a patient's life. In this case, had the needle not been discovered in time, it could have been life threatening.
The doctor-patient trust deficit needs to be closed and not become an ever-widening one. Negligence like this will not help matters. Today, we see people and doctors at odds, angry relatives of patients attacking medical personnel, and this is unacceptable as well.
Such stories of negligence are only increasing cynicism about the medical profession. Doctors can have bad days too, like any other person, but that is no excuse for treatment and care to fall short on any account.
Let clinics set the bar very high when it comes to accountability, treatment and care. In this particular case, representatives from the errant clinic must visit the toddler's parents for an unconditional apology, to begin with.
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