JAISALMER: In a case of utter negligence at a government hospital, a finger on the right hand of a one-year-old child was completely chopped off when the sweeper of the ward tried to remove the intra-cath , a device inserted in the wrist for administering intravenous fluids, on instructions from a male nurse.

The incident took place in the biggest government hospital in Barmer. The child, Sadiq Khan , was well in his senses when the incident took place. The child has since then been into huge pangs of pain and efforts to put him to sleep with help of sedations have proved futile.

According to sources, initial efforts by the sweeper, Badri Lal, to take out the intra-cath proved futile and he tried his hands at it with a pair of scissors lying nearby. "He was trying to take the adhesive tapes off the intra-cath with the scissors when he chopped off the child's finger," said an official.

On realizing his mistake, Badri Lal put the chopped finger in the waste basket. Later efforts to locate it proved futile.

"My child was admitted to the hospital three days back after a sudden fever. However, he recovered fast and was to be discharged last evening. It was then that we asked the hospital staff to remove the intra-cath so that Sadiq could be taken home. But fate had other things in store," said Sadiq's father Allah Rakha.

I also approached the principal medical officer hoping for some miracle but neither he heard nor was there any reply from anyone. I have been to the collector and the superintendent of police too but no one has taken note of my complaints. My child has been handicapped for ever. Till now the chopped finger has not been found," he added.

Principal medical officer R K Maheshwari said that as Sadiq's parents were in a hurry to take him home, the sweeper standing there tried to remove the intra-cath and in the process chopped off the child's finger. "We have removed Badri Lal but till now the chopped finger has not been found. An investigation will be launched into the incident," he said.

The incident comes at a time when the state government has been trying to set an example of sorts by providing free consultancy, investigation and medicines for one and all. In fact, incidents of carelessness in the government hospitals have been on a rise. Frequent reports of doctors forgetting a pair of scissors or bandages and gauge in a patient's stomach keeps pouring in.

District collector Bhanu Pratap Attru has constituted a three-member board, headed by additional district magistrate Arun Purohit, to investigate the incident.

