Amputee’s bed head ticket taken into custody
Nadira Gunatilleke
Health Services Director General Dr Palitha Mahipala ordered Matara
Hospital Director Dr Samindi Samarakoon to take the Bed Head Ticket (BHT)
of the female patient whose hand was amputated, into her custody to
conduct an impartial investigation into the incident, a Health Ministry
spokesman said.
The spokesman said the BHT is the key document that helps in
investigations of this nature.
It reveals important details on the condition, and treatment given to
the patient.
It is alleged that the arm was amputated due to medical negligence. A
space is usually kept between the hand or leg and the plaster of paris.
The ‘plaster of paris’ should be removed if the revealing area above
the plaster becomes reddish or swollen, he said. The spokesman said the
special committee appointed by Health Ministry Secretary Dr Nihal
Jayatilleke was inquiring into the amputation of the left hand of the
final year Law Faculty female student. It was earlier reported that the
patient had complained continuously that the plaster was too tight but
the Matara Hospital medical staff had given her strong pain killers
without loosening the plaster.
Doctors at the Colombo National Hospital decided to amputate her hand
after coming to the conclusion that all nerves in her hand were dead.
The undergraduate is left handed and will for the law examination in
June, the spokesman said. |
