Bengaluru: 5-year-old slips into coma during finger surgery, parents blame docs

Bengaluru: It is now just prayers for the parents of five-year-old Lakshya, who has slipped into a coma for the past nine days after being admitted at Mallya Hospital for a mere finger surgery. Despite being told that it was a minor surgery that would take 20 minutes, it took some two hours for the doctors to come out and tell the parents that the child has slipped into a coma because of weak lungs and heart.

Lakshya's family blames hospital authorities for the child’s condition. “The doctors told us that he has some heart complication which is not true. Our son was fine from day one,” said Purushottam, Lakshya's father.

Lakshya is now battling for his life and has been put on a life-support system at Manipal Hospital. Lakshya injured his finger in school on June 10 and his parents admitted him to Mallya Hospital. After the surgery, the boy went into a coma. The doctors later referred him to Manipal Hospital. Purushottam said that the doctors asked him for ' 60,000 as the surgery had to be done in six hours.

Dr Murali, a consultant at neurologist, Manipal Hospital, said, “The child was referred to us with heart, breathing and brain problems. The heart and breathing conditions have been stabilised and the child is on ventilator. Our concern is the brain as there is a hypoxic injury. All measures are being taken and all relevant specialists are involved.”

Health Minister U.T. Khader said that strict action will be taken against the doctors if found negligent.