The doctors of MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Odisha’s Berhampur performed a miraculous surgery to save the life of a young boy by removing a 1.5-foot-long crowbar that had pierced his body.

The surgery was performed by Dr. I. Gopal, Assistant Professor who was ably assisted by Dr. S.P. Jena, Dr. J.K. Panigrahi, Dr. B.P. Mohapatra and Dr. Alok Das. After more than an hour the team was able to successfully remove the crowbar from the boy’s torso.

Talking to the media, Dr. Gopal observed: “It was a critical operation since we had to remove the rod without causing any harm to other parts of the patient’s body.”

The 17-year-old boy named Shakti Pataguru hails from Talasubranapur village was working for a contractor who had been engaged to renovate a Government upper primary school in the village over the weekend. While removing the damaged asbestos sheets from the roof, Pataguru slipped and landed on the crowbar. The tool pierced his torso and got stuck to his body.

Coming to know about the accident, the boy’s father, Sanatan Pataguru rushed to the spot and took him to Baliguda hospital. When his condition became critical there, the doctors referred the case to MKCG MCH.

Sharing news about the patient, Dr. Gopal said: “The patient is in ICU and has been extubated. His vitals are stable and he is doing well. We will take up definitive surgery once he recovers completely.”

As employing a minor for work is illegal, the Kotgarh police authorities have registered a case against the contractor whose name has not been identified so far.