Surgery was performed on four-year-old's tongue instead of finger; medical board confirms that Dr Bijon Johnson was at fault

KOZHIKODE: The medical board has confirmed that Dr Bijon Johnson made a mistake in the incident where surgery was performed on the tongue of a four-year-old girl instead of her finger at the Maternal and Child Care Center of the Medical College. The medical board has clarified in the report handed over to the police that the operation on the tongue instead of the finger is medical malpractice. The report was handed over after a meeting of the five-member medical board convened by the DMO.

The police had also found that the surgery was performed on the wrong organ. Investigating Officer, Medical College ACP KE Premachandran said further action will be taken after examining the report of the medical board. The medical board submitted the report to the police after examining the medical records of the child who underwent the surgery, the duty register, the statement given to the police by the doctor who performed the surgery and those on duty, and the preliminary report of the police.

The surgery to remove the tongue tie was performed on May 16 on a native of Cheruvannur Maduravanam, who came for treatment for her finger. The doctor's statement to the police was that there was no mistake and the surgery was performed when he saw the Tongue Tie (Ankyloglossia) on the child.