In an alleged case of medical negligence at the Civil Hospital, the family of a snatching victim accused the staff of allowing an untrained Class IV employee to administer stitches to the injured woman instead of a qualified doctor — leaving the wound so poorly stitched that it had to be redone two days later.
The victim, Pushpa Rani, a resident of Chandigarh Colony, Moga, suffered a torn ear after two snatchers pulled off her gold earring, causing severe injury and trauma to her on July 24. She was rushed to the emergency ward of the civil hospital, where her family expected immediate attention from qualified doctors and nursing staff, given the severity of her injuries.
Instead, the family alleged, they were left stunned to find a Class IV employee, a non-medical support staffer, stepping in to suture her wound, even as senior doctors remained unavailable. "We brought her to a government facility trusting that she would receive expert care, especially after suffering such a traumatic assault. Seeing uncredentialed support staff holding surgical needles while doctors stood by or remained absent is appalling," said Davinder Kumar, son-in-law of the victim and a resident of Chandigarh Colony, Moga, who is the complainant in the case.
Adding to the family's ordeal, when they took the elderly woman back to the hospital two days later for a follow-up examination of the wound, they were informed that the earlier stitches had not been done properly and that the wound needed to be restitched. The family said the botched procedure left the already traumatised woman in further grave pain and distress, compounding the trauma of the original assault.
The family alleged that despite the patient's visible distress and bleeding wound, no senior doctor turned up in time to attend to her, forcing support staff to step in — a grave departure from standard medical protocol and patient safety norms. They said this practice exposed the patient to serious risks, including infection and improper wound healing, and reflect a lack of accountability within the hospital's supervisory set-up.
The family has demanded a thorough inquiry into the incident and strict disciplinary action against those found responsible for the alleged dereliction of duty.
Dr Gurwinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Moga, said he would investigate the matter and fix responsibility for the alleged negligence once a formal complaint is received from the victim's family.