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

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.  

According 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.”

Criticising 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.