Medical horror at SCB: Woman lost body part due to 'faulty' cancer report

In a case of utter medical negligence, a patient allegedly had to lose one of her body parts due to a faulty cancer report. That’s not all. The patient condition has become critical now. Such allegations have surfaced from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
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According to the complaint filed by the victim’s relative with SCB Superintendent, “A Dhenkanal-based woman got admitted to SCB after a cyst developed in her breast.  She then got operated at the Surgery department and the cist sample was sent to pathology for further verification. And the pathology department report confirmed that the woman was suffering from cancer.”

The relative further claimed, “After cancer report came, the patient had to undergo another operation at Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre. Also, she had got one of her body parts amputated as part of treatment.  She also underwent chemotherapy. However, the doctor treating the patient raised doubt about the pathology report and asked to carry out the test again. It was then the Pathology department gave a revised report saying negative had become in the report issued by the department as part of human error. By the time the Pathology department came up with rectified report, the woman had already lost one of her body parts.”

Meanwhile, the hospital authorities have started a probe into it to ascertain the veracity of the allegations. 

Complainant Saritdip Tripathy said, “We conducted a test outside the hospital which came cancer negative. When we showed the report to the concerned doctor he said the patient has no cancer germs. He asked us to show the correct report to continue the treatment. So, we again went to SCB Pathology department and showed the report asking them to provide us a right report so that we can continue the chemotherapy treatment process.  They went inside the department and after some time they made a revelation that your mother is not suffering from cancer. By the time they made this statement my mother had undergone chemotherapy thrice and lost one of her body parts.”

Head of Pathology department Liti Mohanty said, “We had received a tumour tissue which was two centimetre in size. As per treatment procedure, we had divided it into three slides out of which one slide report came cancer positive. Accordingly, the patient was given treatment. Out of two remaining slides one slide was given for review which was cancer negative. Though the report came cancer negative, we cannot deny the fact that cancer cell is there in the patient’s body. There must be some miscommunication. The patient should talk to senior doctor to clear her doubt. We should leave it at the point that the patient has cancer and she was given the right treatment.”
 
“It’s true that the patient is cancer positive. Still, we have sought a detailed report from the HOD Pathology,” said SCB administrative officer.