Alapuzzha Medical College faces investigation after surgical instrument left inside patient for 5 years

Alappuzha: In a shocking
case of alleged medical negligence, an artery forceps was reportedly found inside the
abdomen of a woman nearly five years after she underwent surgery at the
Government Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha. The patient has also accused the doctor of negligence, who has since retired. 

In response to the allegations, Kerala Health Minister Veena George ordered a formal investigation into the matter. The patient
had earlier undergone surgery for the removal of uterine fibroids at the hospital.  Also Read:Gorakhpur hospital licence cancelled over post-cataract surgery infectionsAccording to the son of
the patient, she continued to suffer recurring abdominal discomfort and pain
and visited the hospital multiple times, but doctors allegedly failed to detect
the cause. Recently, when she consulted another doctor for persistent pain, she
was initially suspected to have a kidney stone and was advised to undergo an
X-ray, which revealed an artery forceps lodged inside her body, reports The Hindu.

After being confronted,
doctors at the medical college hospital agreed to carry out another procedure
to remove the instrument; however, the family decided to shift her to a private
hospital in Ernakulam for treatment. The patient’s son further alleged that
hospital authorities challenged him to pursue a medical negligence complaint
and refused to offer compensation.

According to the reports,
the family also complained against the surgeon who had recently retired from
the institution, claiming repeated private consultations yielded no relief. The
doctor, however, denied the accusations, stating that the surgery was
slated during her superannuation period. “I was not doing major surgeries at
the far end of my service, though I was the unit chief. Moreover, the surgery
happened during the COVID period, when I was saddled with other duties,” she
said.

The doctor denied meeting the patient at her
residence or accepting any unofficial payments and attributed the lapse to
improper documentation and failure by nursing staff to maintain and audit
records of surgical instruments used during the operation. The doctor even claimed
that surgical devices, even if it stays inside the body during surgery, “do no
harm for decades.”Also Read:Rajkot doctor accused of negligence, overcharging in cancer surgeryCriticising the statement,
Health Minister George said, “The doctor cannot absolve herself of the
responsibility. She remembers the surgery but does not own up to the fact that
the procedure was conducted under her watch.” According to Ms George, a
team of government doctors is set to visit the private hospital where the
patient is currently awaiting surgery, with the aim of investigating the MCH as
part of their probe. She described the incident as a “clear case of
criminal negligence” and stated that a police investigation is likely to
follow. Ms George further notices
that MCH doctors are supposed to refrain from attending patients privately, as
they receive an allowance for not seeing patients privately, and an anti-corruption
probe might also take place.