Dr Taslima Nasreen says Delhi private hospital forced hip replacement and disabled her for life

Bangladeshi author living in exile Taslima Nasreen recently posted a few pictures of herself in a hospital bed. Fans of the author were concerned about her well-being. Now, Nasreen has finally revealed what happened and it doesn't sound great. 

Taslima Nasreen, who is also a physician, took to Twitter to claim that she has been a victim of a medical crime. 

The author made some very serious allegations saying that she's been permanently left handicapped by a New Delhi hospital that misled her into getting a serious surgery that she didn't require. Nasreen said she went in for a knee injury and had her hip bones cut out and replaced by an artificial structure, all for money. 

Here's what has happened so far according to the author: 

• Taslima Nasreen said she tripped and fell on her knee due to an oversized pair of pajamas a few days ago. She suffered some injuries to her knee and subsequently went to a hospital for treatment on the recommendation of a friend. 
• After an X-Ray and CT scan the doctor who was recommended to her by her friend said that she had a fracture on her femur. 
• She was then given two options by the doctor - first, an internal fixation where the fracture will be treated by screwing, and second, a total hip replacement surgery where her hip bones would be removed and replaced with plastic metal (sounds like a nightmare).
• Nasreen claimed that while she insisted on having the internal fixing treatment, she was forced by the doctor and his team to consent to the second treatment. She claimed that the doctors rushed her to make a decision, not giving her time to consider a second opinion.
• She underwent the painful treatment only to discover that her X-Ray did not show any fracture to her femur or anywhere. 

This is the translated version of her Facebook post:

I understood the consequences of trusting people and considering them my friends. Trusted a doctor at the hospital, thinking he was my friend. I told him that I had knee pain after I fell at home and I needed to get an x-ray. The friend sent me to an orthopedic doctor at his hospital, who is actually an expert in hip replacement. The expert told me that I had a fracture in my femur. But instead of treating the fracture, he was after my life to get a hip replacement done. I refused. He continued to pester me and sent three to four doctors to convince me. I was not given any time to think, consult anyone or talk to any well-wishers.

Why are hip replacement surgeries done? 

1. If all surgeries fail to treat joint diseases
2. When joint pain can't be cured by pain medicines
3. When joint diseases don't let you move at all
4. When the joints turn completely useless and have decayed to their final stage
5. When people can't do anything, even sleep, due to severe joint pain
6. When joints are destroyed due to various arthritic diseases
7. When joints have a tumor or cancer

Hip replacement is not done without the above reasons. I didn't have any of the above-mentioned problems. My joints were working fine, never had any pain. My healthy organs were cut off and I was continuously lied to. The doctors never treated the problem I went to the hospital for in the first place.

Taslima Nasreen claimed that she had none of the problems and was a healthy and fit person. She claims it was because she was seen as a Bangladeshi patient who would go back to her country thinking that she got treated. 

The author, who is also a physician herself, blamed herself for her oversight which allowed her to become a victim of medical crime. 

Now, Nasreen says she's been crippled for the rest of her life and even sitting on a normal chair is a difficulty with the artificial hip. 

It isn't known whether Taslima Nasreen has filed a police complaint against the practitioners or not.

Incidents of private medical facilities in India taking patients for a ride by misleading and coercing them into getting expensive, unnecessary, and life-altering treatments aren't uncommon. There have been several incidents where patients had their uterus removed, or given some serious surgery even without their consent. This is why many patients who are recommended major treatments often get a second or even a third opinion before consenting to anything. 

As for Taslima Nasreen, it wouldn't be the first time the author has alleged medical negligence or crime. Way back in 2008, Nasreen had claimed that she was given the wrong medicines for stress and hypertension while living in India. She was then admitted to AIIMS Delhi for suspected drug effects and treated for the same. 

Taslima Nasreen, who is known for her criticism of Islam and feminist writing, has been living in exile for several decades after her book Lajja spurred widespread criticism in Bangladesh. Subsequently, she was banished from her country and her book was banned. Nasreen holds Swedish citizenship and has lived in various places from the US, and Europe to India. In India too, the author has faced backlash and fatwas by Islamist hardliners over her writing.