KOCHI: In a case of medical negligence , a surgeon at the government taluk hospital at Muvattupuzha wrongly performed a surgery on the genitals of a six-year-old boy who was taken by his parents to the hospital for a foot surgery .

The operation took place on Saturday morning and the error came to light when the surgeon who performed the operation, Dr Tasin J Rasin, informed the minor’s parents that “the operation to remove the disorder in the penis was performed successfully”.

The relatives raised a hue and cry and then lodged a complaint with the medical superintendent Dr Shani MM. “We had taken the child to the hospital on Thursday as he had a lump in the right foot and Dr Rasin advised immediate surgery to remove the lump. However we were shocked to see that after the surgery the lump was very much there”, said the minor’s uncle.

District medical officer, Ernakulam, Dr Haseena Muhammed has ordered an inquiry into the “wrong surgery performed by Dr Rasin without the parents’ permission.” “We will conduct a detailed inquiry on Monday and submit the report to the director of health services and the health minister,” she said.

“The minor was suffering from phimosis (penis disorder). But he was brought to the hospital to remove the lump on his foot. On inquiry, the surgeon admitted that he had performed the surgery without the parents’ permission”, said Dr Shani.

Soon after the incident came to light, Muvattupuzha police took the minor boy’s parents’ statement. “There was a communication gap between the doctor and the parents. Once it was sorted out, they didn’t want to pursue the matter and therefore we have not registered a case”, said Muvattupuzha sub-inspector Shiju P S.