Medical Mishap: Child's Tongue Operated On Instead Of Finger, Doctor Suspended

Image credit: Freepik

In an alleged instance of medical negligence, surgery was performed on the tongue of a girl child instead of a finger. The doctor got confused between the two patients, as there was another surgery regarding a tongue problem.

On Thursday, a four-year-old girl in Kerala was taken into an operating theatre at the Government Medical College Hospital to have her sixth finger removed. Hours later, when she emerged from surgery, it was revealed that the procedure had been performed on the incorrect part – her tongue.

The girl's horrified family revealed the error after discovering cotton stuffed in the child's mouth during surgery, prompting them to look into the matter further.

On closer inspection, they discovered that the surgery was performed on her tongue rather than her hand, as anticipated. As the matter sparked outrage in Kerala, the state government took action, suspending Associate Professor Dr. Bejohn Johnson awaiting an investigation.

The surgeon, on the other hand, came up with a peculiar explanation that the child had a small tongue tie (a disorder characterized by a tight band of tissue attaching the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, preventing free movement), and the operation was performed to fix it--without the approval of the parents.