Doctors remove iron rod from teenager’s anus in Odisha

A team of doctors at the state-run MKCG Medical College and Hospital here successfully removed an iron rod which was stuck inside the anus of a 17-year-old boy of Kandhamal district.

The rod had pierced the anus of the boy after he fell from an asbestos roof of a building at Subarnagiri village on Saturday.

About 60cm of the 150cm-long rod, with a radius of around 3cm, penetrated the anus of the teenager identified as Shakti Pataguru, causing injuries to his rectum and sigmoid colon, said a doctor, who operated upon him.

The team of doctors, comprising five surgeons, took around five hours to remove the rod by conducting a critical operation on the patient , said Siba Prasad Das, head of the department of General Surgery.

It was a critical operation to remove the iron rod without causing any harm to other parts of the patient’s body, associate professor at the institute, I Gopal, who led the team of surgeons, said. The rod had caused a fracture of the pelvic bone and entered into the retroperitoneal space of the boy, Dr. Gopal said.

“The patient is in good condition. He will remain in hospital for some days for treatment and observation”, he said.

The incident took place when the teenager was allegedly removing damaged asbestos of a school building .

The rod, which was held by another labourer inside a room, pierced the anus of the boy when he fell after the roof collapsed.

He was immediately rushed to the sub divisional hospital, Baliguda and later referred to the medical college and hospital here.

Meanwhile Rabindra Kumar Mishra, a human rights activist, appealed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take stringent action against the executing agency and contractor who allegedly engaged the teenager in hazardous work.

He also urged the commission to direct the authorities concerned for providing monetary compensation to the victim.