SRI LANKA: A woman’s healthy leg was amputated at the Negombo General Hospital due to mistaken identity 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a healthy leg of Ms. Citthi Naseera (48) was mistakenly amputated at the Negombo General Hospital on 1 March 2005. She is still in hospital.

In the meantime, the hospital authorities attempt to cover up the case. Up until now no inquiries have been made into the matter and a report was not filed to the police either. Such action taken by the hospital authorities clearly shows extreme criminal negligence.

Citthi was the only breadwinner of her family as her husband is sick. She supported her children by selling eatables. But now she worries that she might be a burden for her family, now in desperate situation after the incident.

We request your urgent intervention in this matter. Please urge the Government of Sri Lanka, especially the Minister of Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva Wellassa Development, to immediately investigate this matter and provide all possible assistance to Citthi and her family. Please also urge them to take criminal action against all those involved as well as the hospital authorities.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Citthi Naseera, aged 48
Place of the violation: Negombo General Hospital, Negombo Division, Sri Lanka
Date of the incident: 1 March 2005
Case status: The victim’s healthy limb was amputated due to mistaken identity; Hospital authorities attempt to hush up the incident

Case details:

On 1 March 2005, at the Negombo General Hospital in Negombo Devision, doctors accidentally amputated the leg of a woman, who went to take treatment for a wound. The story as told by this woman, Citthi Naseera, from the hospital is as follows (The statement was translated from Sinhala):

“I had a wound in the sole of my foot and went to see a doctor to get treatment. He gave a letter saying to go to the hospital and get the wound treated. Even then I told the doctor I was afraid. Then the doctor said, “don’t be afraid, this is only for cleaning the wound.” After that they would put medicine and cure it.

The first time I went to the Negombo General Hospital was on 27 February 2005. On that day my wound was cleansed and some medicine was applied. Then I went again on March 1 and was taken to the operating theater. There, I was told they would inject something in my spine and after the injection they would clean the wound and send me off. After about half an hour those people were chatting and laughing. Later somebody came and gave me the injection.

Though my leg was numb there was absolutely nothing wrong with my ears. Somebody taped on my leg and I heard someone say there was one to clean the wound and another to be amputated. By then they had amputated my leg. My eyes were bandaged and I just pulled it off. I thought that my leg had been cut off and I shouted saying that I came to get my wound cleansed and the person waiting for the amputation was waiting outside. I am told now that once they finished the work in the theatre they have to get me to sign. That is why they told me like that.

Hearing my shouts a doctor in the ward came running. He, like me, is a Muslim. He told me not to shout. He told me, you don’t know anything. He said he was inside the theatre. After that, he did not send me back to the ward. He kept me later than 6:30 p.m. By then the visitors had to leave. That was why he kept me out of the ward until people who had come to see me left. I told the doctor that my children were waiting outside then he told me no, nobody has come. By then I was fully conscious. I questioned them as to why they were keeping me inside.

Later my husband had asked this doctor why I had not been brought back to the ward since I was taken at 2:30 p.m. and by then it was past 6:30 p.m. It was only then that this doctor asked forgiveness from my husband saying that my leg has been amputated.

I cannot suffer like this. I cannot even go to the toilet. I don’t want to be a problem for my children. I don’t want to go home, just give me some poison, I told the doctor and every body. Then somebody said, she can speak Sinhalese well though she is a Muslim.

It is by selling vegatables that I live. As my husband got ill when my children were young it was by my work that I brought up my children. I brought them up like that even until I was able to give daughters in marriage.”

Citthi is still in hospital. The matter has not been reported by the hospital authorities to the police. No inquiries have been made into the matter which clearly shows extreme criminal negligence.

In any hospital there will measures to ensure the identity of persons before they are taken to the operating theatre. In such serious operations as amputations there will be serious procedures and consultations to be followed. None of these have been done in this case. Now Citthi is under pressure by those who want to hush up the case. As she is a poor woman, the pressure on her would be very high. Had this happened to anybody from more influential sectors of society by now, there would have been an uproar.

We urge the Sri Lanka government and the health authorities to investigate this matter. We urge that criminal action be taken by the police against all those involved as well as the hospital authorities.

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