IMA raises awareness amongst its 2.5-lakh members about safe surgery practices in light of the recent medical mishap

IMA raises awareness amongst its 2.5-lakh members about safe surgery practices in light of the recent medical mishap

In light of the recent medical mishap where a 24 year old man’s wrong foot was operated upon at Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh, the Indian Medical Association raised awareness amongst its 2.5 lakh members about safe surgery practices and how such a case is a never event and must not happen again.

“Never events are situations where deficiency of service and or negligence is presumed and no trial of expert’s evidence is necessary. Uttermost care must be taken during a surgery so as to ensure that such an incident never happens again”, said Dr SS Agarwal – National President IMA & Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – Honorary Secretary General IMA.

Following are examples rectified by various court judgments. 

a.    Removal of the wrong limb or performance of an operation on the wrong patient.

b.    The issues arising in the complaints in such cases can be speedily disposed of by the procedure that is being followed by the Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies and there is no reason why complaints regarding deficiency in service in such cases should not be adjudicated by the Agencies under the Act.” 

Case References

1.    IMA vs VP Shantha 1995 (6) SCC 651 (37)
2.    SC/4119 of 1999 and 3126 of 2000, 14.05.2009, Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences vs. Prasanth S. Dhananka and Ors: B.N. Agrawal, Harjit Singh Bedi and G. S. Singhvi, JJ. 

The recommendations shared by IMA include:

·      Definition: Near misses -- when surgeons started to operate on the wrong site or patient

·      Operations on the wrong site or the wrong patient should never happen

·      Surgeons shall mark the surgical site before going to the operating room. 

·      Also mark the site that should not be touched. 

·      Reasons for errors include similar sounding names, failure to check patient names on medical records and reversing the sides of X-rays and scans placed on viewing boxes in the operating room.

·       In the operating room before starting surgery, all members of the surgical team should confirm that they have the correct patient, surgical site and procedure. 

·      The operating room team should take ''a timeout'' to check medical records and X-rays, discuss among themselves what they are about to do, and corroborate information with the patient.