Disputable operation at Lady Ridgeway Hospital

Was the child's finger removed by Ridgeway doctor .... for the very purpose of saving child's life?

The thumb of a male child aged 3 years admitted to Colombo Lady Ridgeway Hospital had been detached by negligence of a Consultant Doctor Child Specialist, revealed a Consultant Specialist Doctor of the hospital.
The said child was admitted to the hospital as a result of a bruise on his right thumb and while the doctors had recommended that the child's finger could be brought back to its former condition, a certain Child Specialist Doctor of a particular ward had rejected the request so made and had removed the child's finger by surgery.

A Specialist Doctor of that hospital expressing his opinion said that, "a 3 year old male child living in Bingiriya was admitted to hospital on 23rd with a bruise on the thumb. The Child Specialist Doctor in that ward decided to remove the child's thumb by surgery. After that the child was directed to the operating theater and was anasthesized.

In that instance an Orthopaedic doctor after examining the child's thumb said that it could be restored to its former state by plastic surgery. On that occasion the other doctors and the nurses agreed to it. With that suggestion the child was brought back into his senses without performing an operation and was transferred back to the ward.

When the child was brought to the ward, the said Child Specialist Doctor had found fault with the other doctors for having so brought the child back to the ward without his knowledge with the child not being subjected to surgery.

On that occasion the doctors as well as the nurses explained to him that it was not necessary to remove the child's finger and to grant permission to direct the child for plastic surgery treatment. Without giving ear to this appeal he had taken steps to dismember the child's thumb. It was explained by him that really was an injustice done to the child.

When inquired from the Director of the hospital, Dr. Linton Padmasiri regarding this incident, what he said was that even at the time the patient was brought to the hospital,the nerves of the thumb were beyond repair. If the finger that had gone dead was not removed within a period half an hour by surgery, the life of the child would have been at stake and that his life was saved by removing the finger, he further added.

Harshani Weeraratna / Chamara Amarasuriya