Four months prior, a five-year-old girl underwent an amputation of her left leg after falling from her home’s roof. Following this incident, her family has accused a physician at the government-operated Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, of medical negligence, prompting the police to file a case against the doctor.
An FIR has been registered against Dr. Vineet Singh at the Kotwali police station, citing Section 125-B of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which addresses actions that jeopardize life or personal safety, according to Balram Singh, the Station House Officer at Kotwali. He noted that no arrests have been made thus far, as the police have begun an investigation into the allegations.
The father of the girl, Anil Kumar, a 32-year-old vegetable vendor, recounted the family’s distress starting on December 23 of the previous year, when his daughter Manvi, the oldest of three siblings, fell while playing on the roof. She was quickly taken to the medical college, where Dr. Vineet was the attending physician. Following an initial examination, the girl was instructed to undergo several diagnostic tests, including an X-ray.
“I was informed that my daughter had fractured her left thigh bone and would need surgery,” Kumar explained.
However, the family claims that no action was taken for the next six days, despite repeated requests for the doctor to examine her. “My child remained in the hospital for six days without receiving timely surgery or adequate monitoring… the injured leg was improperly immobilized, which caused her condition to deteriorate and left her in excruciating pain,” Kumar stated. He added that it was not until December 29 that Dr. Vineet opted to carry out the surgery.
His wife, Roshni, reported that the doctors indicated the case was beyond their capabilities and recommended that they transfer Manvi to Lucknow. “Given her declining condition, the doctors arranged an ambulance and referred us to King George’s Medical University in Lucknow. There, we learned that a nerve in her leg was damaged, and amputation might be necessary,” she said.
In a desperate attempt to save their daughter’s leg, the family sought help from a private hospital, where surgery was performed. However, it was too late, according to them.
Kumar claimed that the delays and treatment failures at the medical college led to a severe infection, ultimately resulting in the amputation of his daughter’s leg on January 7, which he said has left her permanently disabled.
When reached for comment, Dr. Sunil Kaushal, the Principal of the Medical College, stated that an investigation into the case had been completed and a report submitted to the District Magistrate. He mentioned that Dr. Vineet has been working at the institution on a contractual basis for several years and assured that appropriate actions would be taken based on the inquiry’s findings.
