17-Year-Old Girl Dies After Doctors Amputate Leg Following Botched Surgery

A 17-year-old girl in India died Tuesday after her leg was amputated following a reportedly botched surgery.

Initially, the girl had been admitted to a hospital in the southern state of Tamil Nadu for a ligament tear repair.

However, according to local media reports, the girl died of multiple-organ failure Tuesday morning.

The victim, identified as R. Priya, was a soccer player. She had suffered a ligament tear in her right leg two weeks ago, following which two doctors at the Government Peripheral Hospital had performed an arthroscopic ligament repair procedure to mend the issue.

“She underwent an arthroscopic ligament repair procedure at the Government Peripheral Hospital, Periyar Nagar on November 7. A compression bandage was applied to prevent bleeding,” the state’s health minister Ma. Subramanian told the Hindu.

The minister said the doctors failed to notice the compression bandage was adding pressure to the leg.

Last week, Priya had to undergo an amputation due to complications at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). Even as treatment continued at RGGGH’s intensive care unit, she died of multiple-organ failure as her kidneys, liver and heart failed. The doctors involved in the incident have been suspended, according to Newsroom Post.

“She played in the position of forward and did one month of practice with us. We completed the admission process in August and by September she told the coach that she had pain in the leg, which we heard she was carrying from her school days. When we heard from the media that her leg was removed, we were thinking of supporting her to the maximum, and when her news of death reached us, we were shocked,” said Vasantha Kumari, physical training instructor of Queen Mary’s College, where the girl played.

Last week, a 29-year-old woman in India died hours after receiving an injection from a registered medical practitioner. The victim had been suffering from a cold and cough for a couple of days. She went to the medical practitioner, who gave her an injection instead of tablets. The following day, the woman started vomiting and fell unconscious. She was later declared dead.