IT WAS NOT ‘FORGETFUL’ DOCTOR’S FIRST LAPSE
Dr Sanjeev Haribhakti, who forgot to remove surgical gauze from a patient’s stomach early this month, is facing a court case for leaving a forcep behind in another patient’s abdomen
By Gargi Raval and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, August 29, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror - Cover Story)
Dr Sanjiv Haribhakti Dr Sanjiv P Haribhakti, who left behind surgical gauze in a patient’s stomach during a surgery at Sterling hospital early this month, had committed a similar mistake earlier too. Then, his mistake had cost a patient his life. Dr Haribhakti had left behind forceps in cancer patient Chandubhai Raghubhai Rajput’s intestine during an operation in January 2000. The patient’s family filed a complaint in the case, following which the matter was admitted in the metropolitan court.
By Gargi Raval and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, August 29, 2008 (Ahmedabad Mirror - Cover Story)
Dr Sanjiv Haribhakti Dr Sanjiv P Haribhakti, who left behind surgical gauze in a patient’s stomach during a surgery at Sterling hospital early this month, had committed a similar mistake earlier too. Then, his mistake had cost a patient his life. Dr Haribhakti had left behind forceps in cancer patient Chandubhai Raghubhai Rajput’s intestine during an operation in January 2000. The patient’s family filed a complaint in the case, following which the matter was admitted in the metropolitan court.
The trial is still on. On January 28, 2000, Rajput was operated upon by a team of ‘experts’ comprising Dr Rupesh Mehta and Dr P Haribhakti at gastro surgery unit of VS Hospital. Rajput, a retired foreman in AMTS, had developed cancer in the intestine. He was discharged on February 18 after the operation.
Soon after the operation, the patient complained of severe pain in the stomach. His condition kept deteriorating, causing worry among the doctors. Nine months later, the doctors ordered a CT scan.The scan revealed that Rajput was in serious trouble. And it wasn’t the cancer. The CT scan conducted on September 19, 2000 revealed a ‘metallic’ foreign body in his intestine.
The foreign body turned to be artery forceps doctors had used in the surgery!Rajput was admitted to V S Hospital again on September 11, 2000, and operated upon on September 22.
He died soon after the operation.The deceased’s son, Hitesh, said the doctors had tried to hush up the matter by not letting them know what was wrong with him or why he needed to be operated a second time. The family said they realised the gravity of the situation when a number of senior doctors rushed to the patient’s aid after the CT scan.
Family members said much after they came to know of forceps being recovered from Rajput’s body, they found out that the erring doctors had also not opened some sutures that sealed the incisions made during the operation.
Later, VS Hospital set up a committee comprising four doctors — Dr Vidyut Desai, Dr Sunil Kanvinde, Dr Kishore Rathod and Dr D C Dave, the hospital’s deputy superintendent — to investigate into the lapse committed by Dr Mehta and Dr Haribhakti.Hitesh says the family also approached the consumer court for redressal of their grievance. Sources said Dr Mehta and Dr Haribhakti have had a long-standing dispute over who was responsible for the lapse.
