The Kerala High Court has ordered the state government to provide medical aid and free education to a nine-year-old girl whose right hand had to be amputated due to “medical negligence”.
The government will have to bear the expenses till she reaches the age of 21, the court said, citing that she was a victim of gross medical negligence at the district hospital in Palakkad. The girl, who hails from a financially disadvantaged family, was rushed to hospital after suffering two fractures to her arm.
Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM further directed the government to ensure strict implementation of standard operating procedure (SOP) for treating fractures, especially in children, and disposed of the petition.
Infection, bleeding
A complaint in this regard was filed by PD Joseph, a social worker from Thrissur. He said the girl was taken to the hospital in September 2025. Instead of surgery, a band-aid was put on her arm without proper examination and she was discharged. This led to infection of the broken hand and bleeding. No medicine was given to stop the bleeding.
She was subsequently admitted to the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital where her right hand, which was fully infected, had to be amputated. This would not have happened if she had been monitored and properly treated at the Palakkad District Hospital, Mr. Joseph claimed.
Published – 9 March 2026 21:54 IST
