Hyderabad: Relatives of a seven-year-old boy launched a protest at a city hospital on Saturday, alleging lack of good care. Operated upon twice for a congenital heart problem at Lotus Children’s Hospital, little Shafi has now been put on ventilator support for a sepsis infection. His furious parents and relatives claim the surgery had been badly botched up.
Shafi was admitted with ‘tetralogy of fallot with multiple cyanotic spells’, which means there was a hole in a valve in the right ventricle of his heart and the artery was not carrying sufficient blood. Due to this defect, there was inadequate supply of blood to the lungs, which in turn affected oxygen levels in rest of the body. The low oxygen level even gave a blue or purple hue to skin, lips and fingernails.
Doctors at an urban health centre at Nizamabad, from where the patient hails, had referred him to Lotus Children’s Hospital for further treatment.
Dr Sunil Swain, paediatric cardio-thoracic surgeon, said: “We had clearly told the parents that the child should have been treated when he was one. This condition was detected too late. When the child came to the hospital, his condition had deteriorated and he suffered from severe cyanotic spells.”
But Shafi’s father M.A. Rahim says he gave consent because he was confident the child will improve. The procedure was covered under the Aarogyasri scheme and hospital officials had explained that the condition was common in children and that the recovery rate following surgery was good.
During the surgery, the defect was sealed and the child’s condition had improved. But Shafi developed severe infection during post-operative care. Mujtaba Hasan Askari, a volunteer helping the family with the medicines, explained: “The hospital didn’t mention the infection to the parents. After he was taken home, the child was constantly complaining of uneasiness in the chest and was vomiting often. Also, he began to lose weight and became very weak.” The parents then took the child to city’s Niloufer Hospital, where doctors referred him back to Lotus Hospital, saying that’s where the surgery was done. Mr Rahim added: “There was a detailed note written by the Niloufer hospital doctor who said the first surgery was not done properly, due to which the child had developed pneumonia.”
Dr V.S.V. Prasad, chief executive officer of Lotus Hospital said: “As the infection was very active, he was given medicines. We wanted the infection to reduce. But the family went to other hospitals and returned at a very critical stage.” Shafi was operated upon again on March 19, but he suffered further complications and had to be put on ventilator support. He is now being treated for sepsis shock.
