In a shocking case of medical negligence at Kota Medical College’s Super Speciality Block, a person with the same name as that of the actual patient was put under the knife. The incident occurred on April 12 and has caused a stir within the hospital administration. The confusion occurred between the patient scheduled for surgery and another patient's father, who was present outside the operating theatre, with the same name, Jagdish.
This took place during a scheduled procedure in the Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department, where a dialysis fistula was to be done on a patient. Coincidentally, the father of the other patient with the same name was present outside the OT, waiting as an attendant for his son, who was undergoing plastic surgery in a different department.
When the hospital staff called the patient’s name, the attendant, Jagdish, raised his hand. Mistaking him for the patient, the staff took him inside, laid him on the OT table, and began the surgical procedure by making a small incision on his hand.
Doctor Identifies Attendant, Halts Surgery
Fortunately, the doctor handling Jagdish’s son's surgery arrived at the OT just in time and recognised the man on the table as an attendant, not the patient. The operation was immediately stopped. Jagdish was stitched up and returned to his son’s ward.
Standard Procedure Not Followed
As the actual patient, Jagdish, who was supposed to undergo the operation, was paralysed and had difficulty speaking, leading to him not being able to alert the staff to the mistake. Moreover, serious lapses in protocol were noted—he had not been given the required surgical gown, and his hand had not been shaved or cleaned as is mandatory before such procedures.
Actual Patient Successfully Operated Later
After the mix-up was resolved, the intended patient for the dialysis fistula procedure was operated on successfully. He was discharged from the hospital the next day, on April 13.
Three-Member Committee Formed for Investigation
In response to the serious breach, the hospital administration has formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee is expected to determine the causes of the mistake and identify those responsible for the procedural lapses.
Concerns Over Hospital Safety Protocols
The incident has raised serious questions about patient safety and verification processes at the hospital. Authorities are now under pressure to ensure such errors are not repeated and that stricter checks are implemented before any surgical procedure.
(Report by KK Sharma from Kota)