Doctor without orthopaedic training held liable for gangrene-led amputation
Issue -
December - 2025, Posted On: 01 December 2025
A 15-year-old boy was brought to a local clinic late at night after a road accident left him with a fractured thigh. The attending doctor, a general practitioner, assured the family that the bone would heal on its own. He applied traction with bricks, dressed the wound, and advised that plaster would follow after three weeks. No X-ray or diagnostic imaging was ordered, and the boy remained under his care for five days.
When the family finally took the boy to a higher-level hospital, specialists found advanced infection and gangrene. His leg was beyond salvage and had to be amputated below the knee. The parents alleged that the local doctor’s failure to investigate, refer, or provide proper treatment amounted to negligence and led directly to the amputation.
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