Kozhikode/ Palakkad: The nine-year-old Palakkad girl whose right arm was amputated following an alleged medical negligence case was discharged from the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, on Tuesday. She has been undergoing treatment there for nearly one and a half months and has undergone five surgeries.

The girl, Vinodhini Mol, from Pallassana in Palakkad, suffered a fracture in her right arm after a fall near her home on September 24. She was first taken to the Palakkad District Hospital, but due to an alleged lapse in treatment, her condition worsened, and her arm was amputated at the Kozhikode Medical College on September 30.

A word of comfort from her parents has allayed her fears at least for the present. “I miss my friends and want to go to school when my hand regrows,” Vinodhini told Onmanorama. Her parents had comforted her by saying that her arm would grow back soon whenever she asked about it. “I want to go home and play with my siblings,” she added.

“Her stitches have been removed, and she doesn’t feel much pain now. But we aren’t sure when she can return to school as she still needs to come back for check-ups,” said her father, Vinod, a daily wage worker.

“It’s her right hand that was amputated — the one she used to draw and dance with. We are devastated and unsure how to move forward,” he said. Vinod and his wife Praseedha have been by their daughter’s side day and night since her hospitalisation.

The family has been facing severe financial hardship during this period and has been surviving on borrowed money. They were sanctioned ₹2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF), though the amount is yet to be credited to their account. “Even that won’t be enough to cover all our expenses,” Vinod said.

The family lives in a small shed on rented land with their three children, including two younger sons, Anurag (4) and Aravind (5). “The younger kids were staying with their grandmother since we’ve been in the hospital. Aravind is in Class 1, but his schooling has stopped because my mother cannot take him to school,” Vinod said.

Earlier, Palakkad Town South Police registered a case against doctors at the District Hospital under Section 125(b) (causing grievous hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following Vinod's complaint.

Following public outrage and media attention, the Health Department suspended two doctors — Junior Resident Dr Mustafa and Junior Consultant Dr Sarfaraz — pending an inquiry under the Kerala Civil Services (CCA) Rules. The action came despite the hospital’s claim that there was no negligence. Meanwhile, the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) criticised the suspension, calling it a move to appease public sentiment.