Botched c-section surgery at GMC Kozhikode in 2017: Police submits revised chargesheet

Kozhikode: Following the advice from the legal counsel to initiate criminal proceedings against two doctors and two nursing staff of Kozhikode Medical College who were found responsible for leaving forceps inside a woman's abdomen after surgery in 2017, the police submitted a revised chargesheet in the Kunnamangalam Judicial First Class Court on Friday.  

The chargesheet includes names of two doctors and two nurses of the medical college which has been submitted to the court based on the investigations conducted by the police and scientific evidence. 

According to the police, the then medical superintendent, Dr Sreekumar, together with the head of the department, Dr Vinayachandran, and another doctor at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital were also included as accused, but after a request was made to the court, their names have been removed from the charge sheet.

Also read- Forceps Left Inside Patient's Abdomen At GMC Kozhikode In 2017: Police To Arrest Doctors, Teachers' Association Oppose Move

Talking about the arrest of the accused, police sources informed TH, "The investigation into the case was completed under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police K Sudarshan and the arrest of the suspects would be recorded soon to complete further legal proceedings. A few corrections and omissions were made ahead of the submission of the revised chargesheet." 

Following the development in the case, the victim, Harshina thanked the police force and the government for their efforts in the case. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that an investigation by the Kerala police found that forceps were accidentally left inside a woman's abdomen after surgery in 2017. As a result, the report indicated two doctors and two nursing staff of the hospital responsible for the costly goof-up.

The police launched the investigation following a complaint by the woman alleging that she faced health complications after undergoing a caesarean at the Government Medical College hospital in 2017.

A senior police officer said that the investigation confirmed that the forceps were accidentally left inside the woman’s body after the caesarean section, which was an alleged act of negligence by the doctors.

Harshinia, the 30-year-old woman from Kozhikode, had filed the complaint seeking a probe in October last year.

The woman had undergone her third caesarean at the Medical College in November 2017, with her earlier two C-sections performed in different private hospitals.

On September 17, 2022, the doctors of Kozhikode Medical College conducted a significant surgery on Harshinia, who was suffering from severe pain, to remove a mosquito artery forceps that had been in her stomach for the past five years.

The mosquito artery forceps is a scissor-like piece of equipment used by surgeons to clamp bleeding vessels during surgeries.

Also read- Forceps Left Inside Patient's Abdomen At GMC Kozhikode In 2017: Medical Board To Examine Police Report