Surgical instrument left inside patient for 2 years; 15 Lucknow doctors, staff booked
Medical Negligence
Lucknow: A team of 15 doctors, including senior health officials at Eras Lucknow Medical College and Hospital, has been booked in a medical negligence case after a 57-year-old woman alleged that a surgical instrument was left inside her stomach during a surgery performed about two and a half years ago, causing her severe abdominal pain since 2023.
Along with this, she also alleged that upon discovering the issue, the doctors tried to mislead her by falsely diagnosing her with appendicitis to hide the earlier negligence. She further claimed that she spent around Rs 5 lakh on treatment between 2023 and 2025, but her pain never improved.
After the police allegedly delayed or refused to register an FIR, she approached a magistrate’s court in Lucknow. Acting on the court’s directions, the police ultimately registered a case against 15 doctors, including several surgeons, radiologists, consultants and senior health officials under sections 125(A) (acts endangering human life) and 125B (grievous hurt caused) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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According to the complainant, she started facing health problems in January 2023 when she developed acute abdominal pain. She approached the private hospital for treatment, where doctors conducted MRI and X-ray scans on January 5 and advised surgery. She was admitted on February 15 and underwent surgery on February 27, 2023, as reported by HT.
However, complications allegedly arose due to faulty stitching, forcing doctors to perform a second surgery on March 17. She was discharged on March 23, but her troubles did not end there. She alleged that she continued to suffer from severe and recurring abdominal pain soon after discharge.
Between March and May 2023, she reportedly visited the hospital several times. During these visits, she claimed that doctors only prescribed painkillers while charging consultation fees, without identifying the real cause of her pain. The fees turned out to be Rs 5 lakh in total.
Her condition worsened in August 2025 when the pain became unbearable. An ultrasound conducted at the same hospital on August 2 allegedly showed abnormalities, but Singh accused the doctors of preparing false and misleading reports to hide the presence of a surgical instrument inside her body.
She claimed doctors falsely diagnosed her with appendicitis and pressured her to undergo another surgery, demanding immediate payment. Suspecting foul play, she refused and sought a second opinion.
For that, she approached another private hospital, where a CT scan conducted on August 9, conclusively revealed the presence of a foreign surgical object inside her abdomen. She underwent another surgery on August 20 at the second hospital, where the surgical tool was removed and shown to her family. The discharge summary of that hospital clearly mentioned “foreign body removal” during diagnostic laparotomy under general anaesthesia.
Following the procedure, she reportedly developed serious post-operative complications and was admitted to the ICU, further adding to physical and mental trauma.
The complainant further alleged that despite knowing about the foreign object inside her body, the first hospital continued her treatment and extracted nearly Rs 5 lakh from her between February 2023 and August 2025.
She said she had submitted written complaints to the police commissioner, local police station, chief medical officer and district magistrate in August 2025, but no action was taken at that time. The FIR was finally registered only after the Lucknow Judicial Magistrate (V) court ordered a probe on October 4, following which the police initiated action in the case.
An investigation is underway in connection with the case.
