Cover up in arm amputation probe?

NAdira Gunatilleke

Other than recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future, there has been no person or persons found guilty or responsible for the amputation of the arm of the final year law student Achala Priyadharshani, the report of the three member panel tasked with probing the incident said. This ‘clean report’ will be presented to Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena. Health Ministry sources said investigators had found that the law student’s arm was amputated due to medical negligence of the entire staff at the Matara Hospital.

The usual practise is if the patient complaints, the plaster should be removed immediately. The health staff should also monitor the patient’s pulse, check for swelling, red or blue pallor in the upper part of the hand or leg after placing the plaster of paris . But these were not monitored by the Matara Hospital medical staff. However, the report handed over to Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena contains only recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future, the sources said.

“It is puzzling why the report does not contain what is actually found by the investigators. The report says nobody is responsible for the amputation of the hand of the law student,” the sources said. 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 or removing the plaster. Colombo National Hospital doctors decided to amputate her hand after coming to the conclusion that all nerves in her hand were dead.