Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the State government to provide free medical care and education up to the age of 21 to a nine-year-old girl who lost her hand following alleged medical negligence at the Government District Hospital in Palakkad, the Times of India reported.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V.M. Syam Kumar also ordered the government to ensure that the child’s disability does not hinder her future employment opportunities, observing that she was a victim of serious negligence at a government hospital.
The court issued the directive while considering a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Thrissur-based social worker P.D. Joseph seeking an inquiry into the alleged lapse by doctors.
The case relates to an incident on September 24, 2025, when Vinodini, a resident of Pallassana in Palakkad, was taken to the district hospital after she suffered a fracture in her right arm following a fall. According to the petition, doctors applied a plaster cast without noticing a wound near the fracture.
The wound allegedly became infected and began bleeding. The child was taken back to the hospital the next day as she experienced severe pain, but doctors reportedly administered medication and asked the family to return after five days.
Her condition later worsened, and she was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, where doctors amputated her right hand after the infection became severe.
In its affidavit, the State government informed the court that preliminary materials indicated possible medical malpractice in the treatment provided. Two doctors were suspended following the incident, though one of them later secured an order from the Kerala Administrative Tribunal quashing the suspension and directing reinstatement.
The government said it plans to challenge the tribunal’s order. It also informed the court that an expert panel report on the incident has been submitted and will be referred to the apex committee as required under law.
Meanwhile, the government has provided ₹2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for the child’s treatment and for a prosthetic hand.