A case of alleged negligence in medical diagnosis has resulted in financial loss and mental trauma to the victim’s family, who lodged an FIR against the doctor who performed Sonography on the victim. The report of sonography was declared completely wrong, after the doctor operated the victim.

On September 22, 2012, Sakina Kagzi (28), wife of Murtaza Kagzi complained of stomach ache and mild headache. She was taken to a doctor at Satellite Hospital, Ambamata.

As per the patient’s condition, the doctor referred her to Amolak Diagnosis for Sonography. On the same day, the Sonography was conducted by Dr. Om Prakash, who is employed at Amolak as a Consultant Radiologist.

According to the report of sonography, it was found that the patient Sakina has critical Ectopic Pregnancy which is ‘ruptured’ and needed to undergo surgery, immediately. Murtaza rushed his ailing wife to Saifee Burhani Hospital, where Dr. Zehra Abbas, Gynaecologist was consulted and after perusing the report, the Doctor performed surgery on the same day.

Post surgery, Dr. Abbas confirmed that, there was nothing found in patient for which the surgery was conducted and the report as alleged, was completely wrong.

Currently, the patient is on bed rest for the next two and half months and her family is under despair and trauma, both financial and mental.

Dr. Om Prakash of Amolak, when asked about the case, passed the buck to a technical-fault in the Sonography machine and refused to take any responsibility. “It is a machine and it might get wrong sometimes, what we can do?”, said Dr. Om Prakash.

Murtaza hopes to seek justice for his wife’s traumatic condition. He and his wife are going through lot because of the alleged negligence. A police complaint has been lodged at Hathipol police station against the doctor.

Nirbhay Singh, a police official, who is investigating the case, said that, this is a serious issue and we will give our statement only after completing the investigation. Meanwhile, both the complainant and Dr. Omprakash, were called to police chowki at Madhuban, for interrogation.

In Ectopic Pregnancy, the embryo implants outside uterine cavity which further creates emergency situation and can result into fatality, if not treated timely and properly. (Source)

As per the report of Sakina, she was in a critical state, as the report of Ultra Sonography of Lower Abdomen said, “Ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy”.  But after the surgery, Dr. Zehra Abbas disclosed that, she was all normal and report was totally misleading.

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Dr. Zehra Abbas told UT that she did what was required as per the report of Sonography.  She denied commenting further on the issue.

Sakina’s husband Murtaza Kagzi owns a printing press in Udaipur; the couple has a 5-year-old son and lives at Taya Apartment, near Swaroop Sagar.

Murtaza expressed his anguish and said, “Till now, I have spent more than Rs.30,000/- but that doesn’t matter me more than the circumstances that my family is going through, my wife was the one who used to take care of our family as I am always busy in my work, now it is so tough for us to manage.”

UT View: Diagnostic centers cannot turn their faces away from taking responsibility of the medical tests conducted there as machines are ultimately directed by humans.

Patients visit diagnostic centers mostly only after being referred by the doctors and as per general practice, doctors rely on the report from the centre. If diagnostic centers can’t take guarantee of the diagnosis result in the report, then they must put a disclaimer giving this in writing in the report, so that doctors can take a second opinion in serious cases and any such alleged medical negligence endangering human lives can be avoided .