More than three months after 9-year-old Vinodhini from Palakkad had her arm amputated due to alleged medical negligence, a three-member team from the Health Department took the statements of the family on Thursday.

According to Vinod, the team visited their house at Pallassana, Palakkad, on Thursday morning, where they spoke to the parents and the child for about 30 minutes.

The nine-year-old girl was taken to the Palakkad District Hospital after she fell and broke her arm, following which doctors applied a cast after ensuring that the blood circulation was normal. 

However, the family alleges that a coin-sized wound was ignored by the doctors, who did not pay attention when the parents mentioned it. They suspect this to be the cause of the complications that followed.

In the days that followed, Vinodhini was brought back to the hospital after suffering from severe pain, from where she was referred to Kozhikode Medical College for specialised treatment. There, the doctors told the family that the damage was irreversible and her right forearm was amputated to save her life.

Following the public outrage over the incident, the Health Department suspended two doctors of Palakkad District Hospital — Junior Resident Dr Mustafa and Junior Consultant Dr Sarfaraz — pending further inquiry under the Kerala Civil Services (CCA) Rules. The suspension came despite the hospital's claim that there was no negligence.

Additionally, the Palakkad Town South Police also registered a case against the doctors. The case was registered under Section 125(b) (causing grievous hurt by rash or negligent act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Given the health department's inaction, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan confirmed that his office has made the full payment required by the agency that manufactures the prosthetic arm for nine-year-old Vinodhini.

Malappuram-based Shelter India Charitable Trust also stepped forward to build a house for the girl, after the family waited for months without meaningful government support.

Additionally, Nemmara MLA K Babu had also met Vinodhini and announced a monthly assistance of ₹4,000 for her. The legislator also assured the family that land would be arranged in Pallassana for the construction of a house.