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Amputation Without Consent

Threats over Nigeria amputation

A Nigeria doctor says he has received death threats after amputating an injured girl's arms without consent.
Ref. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7498367.stm

Consent Amputation

I would have made threats to a doctor who cuts off my daughters arms without consent too. I would then sue the doctor and the hospital where she was staying.

The problem with this case is we do not know in what condition the arms were actually in.

Edited: KNtoran on 10th Jul, 2008 - 2:58pm

Amputation Without Consent Health & Special Psychology

Would you rather have your daughter's arms amputated or have her dead? Sounds like he made a life or death decision. We have a patient here at the hospital currently who came very close to losing his leg and his life this week because the initial treating hospital waited too long before doing an emergency surgery.

This is a tragic situation but the doctor made the right choice. His hippocratic oath requires him to preserve life whenever possible. From reading the article it does not sound like her limbs could have been saved regardless. She had already lost a lot of blood. Sure, in the best of situations limbs can be reattached but I question whether that technology is available at a small clinic in the middle of Nigeria. How many other people will now not get the care they need because his clinic has been shut down? If this doctor is ever allowed to practice medicine again - will he take the risk to save a life next time he is put in a position to make a choice or will he wait for for consent and perhaps have his patient die during the interim?

Consent Amputation

That is just it. If the limbs were as damaged as they say I doubt she would have been awake before getting to the hospital. If she lost as much blood as they said she would have been near death and not able to remember going to the hospital. The fact she was able to remember going makes it sound to me that she was not as bad as the doctor says. I think in this case without further knowledge I believe he was harvesting limbs.

Edited: KNtoran on 10th Jul, 2008 - 5:37pm

Consent Amputation

I guess I would need to see more than just the injured girl's story to make the jump that the Dr. was harvesting limbs. I see too many patients that have no clue about the reality of their condition. We have the Dr. and "witnesses" on one side of this story and the girl's story on the other side. Without seeing her medical records it's pretty much a judgment call. But witnesses that collaborate the Dr.'s story (depending upon who they were) carry more weight in my book than a young girl with no medical training in shock from just being in a traumatic accident.

Regardless, the poor girl now has no arms and a lifetime ahead of her.

Amputation Without Consent

Name: Finemocha

Comments: Did it ever occur to u guys that she was lying. after being coaxed by her family, she all of a sudden remembers that her arms were not broken. Please. And if she was awake she could have been in shock, hence why she wasn't screaming hysterically, like some people would expect. Basically, no one even seems to care about the okada driver or the truck driver. I just think her parents are poor, ignorant, illiterate and frustrated with life, so they have seen someone to pour all their frustrations on.

Message Edited... Persephone: Check your spelling before submission. No bet talk please.