Surgeon transferred after flagging patient safety issues at Thrissur Medical College

The Director of Medical Education (DME) has ordered the transfer of key cardiothoracic surgeons to and from Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital to address the prolonged and persistent crisis in performing heart surgeries. As part of the reshuffle, Dr Ashraf Usman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Thrissur, has been transferred to Alappuzha Medical College. In turn, Dr Kochu Krishnan from Alappuzha has been posted to Thrissur.

At the centre of the issue is a reported concern over the competence of the hospital’s perfusionist— a vital specialist who operates the cardiopulmonary bypass machine during open-heart procedures. Dr Ashraf had flagged the perfusionist's inefficiency, prompting the suspension of surgeries at the hospital for two months. 

He told an inquiry committee that a lack of experience among the perfusion team led to the death of two patients. He further stated that he was not willing to take further risks with patients' lives.

Following this, a special team comprising Dr Rajesh, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Kozhikode Medical College, and a perfusionist from Alappuzha Medical College, inspected the situation and submitted a detailed report to the DME. The department is currently reviewing the report before taking further action.

Dr Ashraf alleged that instead of addressing the issue, the authorities chose to transfer him under pressure. He added that when he took charge, the waiting list for heart surgeries stood at nearly 200 patients, but he had reduced the backlog significantly by performing surgeries every alternate day. The crisis reportedly began after the regular perfusionist left for Saudi Arabia and was replaced by a temporary hire lacking sufficient expertise.

Dr Ashraf reiterated that his concerns were solely about patient safety, and yet the solution offered was his transfer. He stated that he is being denied the right to serve three years in his hometown and intends to appeal the transfer in a tribunal, although he holds no grudge against the state government.