Came to Support His Son, Ended Up in the OR: Elderly Man’s Ordeal After Hospital Mix-Up

A hospital in Kota, Rajasthan, is under severe scrutiny following a shocking incident in which an elderly man was mistakenly operated on while accompanying his son for surgery. The mix-up occurred on April 12 at the government-run Kota Medical College Hospital and has since triggered an official investigation.

According to local media reports, 60-year-old Jagdish Panchal had traveled from Baran district with his son Manish, who required surgery after being injured in a road accident. As Manish was taken in for his scheduled procedure, his father waited nearby outside the operating theater.

The confusion began when hospital staff called for another patient named "Jagdish," who was scheduled for a minor operation to create a dialysis fistula—an incision connecting an artery and vein to aid dialysis treatment. Due to difficulty speaking because of facial paralysis, Panchal mistakenly responded to the name and was directed to the operating room without proper identification checks.

Doctors administered anesthesia and began the surgical incision on Panchal’s arm, unaware of the mix-up. It wasn’t until Manish’s procedure concluded and he noticed his father missing that the error came to light. Hospital staff rushed to the operating room and stopped the surgery, immediately stitching up the unintended incision.

Sources within the hospital revealed that Panchal had not been prepped for surgery—his arm hadn’t been shaved or disinfected, nor was he dressed in a patient gown. Yet, the medical team proceeded with the operation without confirming his identity.

Following the incident, Dr. Sangeeta Saxena, principal of the medical college, ordered the formation of a three-member committee to investigate and submit a report within 72 hours. The matter also caught the attention of local political leaders. Shanti Dhariwal, a legislator from Kota North, visited the family and demanded that the government provide compensation and ensure medical support for both the father and the son.

Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot criticized the incident, blaming the current administration for what he described as declining standards in public healthcare. In a statement, he raised concerns about frequent instances of negligence in government hospitals and lamented the deterioration of what he claimed was once a model healthcare system in Rajasthan.

Regrettably, this is not the first such incident to come to light in India. In June last year, a hospital in Thane near Mumbai drew criticism after doctors accidentally operated on the genitals of a nine-year-old boy instead of his broken leg. Around the same time, a man in Kerala reported that a medical implant intended for someone else had been inserted into his hand—just days after another doctor in the state was suspended for mistakenly operating on a child’s tongue instead of removing an extra finger.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)