Kerala woman gets chemotherapy after wrong cancer diagnosis, loses hair, income
A woman in Kerala's Kottayam was subjected to chemotherapy even though she didn't have cancer. Now, she has lost all her hair and is unable to go to work.
In Short
- A 38-year-old woman was given chemotherapy after medical reports said she had cancer
- However, other reports said the Kerala woman did not have cancer
- She has lost all her hair and has been unable to work for months
A 38-year-old woman in Kottayam, Kerala underwent chemotherapy although she didn't have cancer. After being wrongly diagnosed of having cancerous cells in her breast, she was given chemotherapy at the Kottayam Government Medical College and Hospital.
Now she has lost all hair and suffers from a lingering discomfort that has stopped her from going to work. Rajani is the sole breadwinner of her family, said a report in The Times of India.
She was given chemotherapy in March while the incident has come to light only now after she raised a complaint with the hospital.
Rajani went to the hospital after she developed a lump on her breast. Two of her samples were collected and sent to a private laboratory near the hospital and another to a government facility.
After receiving the reports from the private lab, doctors decided to subject her to chemotherapy. After the first session of chemotherapy was done, doctors received the second report from the hospital itself which said there was no malignancy in the lump.
She took another round of tests, which also confirmed that she doesn't have cancer. She then took the latest results to the hospital.
The second session of chemotherapy was cancelled but by then Rajani had already lost all her hair. Chemotherapy takes a huge toll on the body and she became weak.
She has been unable to go to work since then. Rajani told TOI that she has an eight-year-old daughter and her ageing parents live with her.
Kerala Health Minister has ordered an inquiry into the incident and asked for a report.