Dehradun Hospital License Suspended After Woman Dies From Retained Gauze Post C-Section, Probe Underway
Medical Negligence
Dehradun: The registration of a private MotherCare Hospital in Dehradun has been cancelled and its licence suspended after a 26-year-old woman, Jyoti Pal, allegedly died due to medical negligence months after childbirth. Her husband has accused the attending doctors of leaving a surgical bandage inside her abdomen during a cesarean section, a lapse that has triggered an official investigation by health authorities.
According to the complaint filed by her husband, Prajwal Pal, Jyoti delivered a baby girl at the hospital on January 29.
Shortly after discharge, she began experiencing recurring severe abdominal pain. The hospital allegedly dismissed her complaints repeatedly, prescribing medicines without identifying the cause.
In recent weeks, her pain worsened significantly. She was then admitted to Graphic Era Hospital where imaging scans revealed a massive internal infection. During emergency surgery on Saturday, doctors discovered the retained gauze. Jyoti passed away late Sunday night due to the infection resulting from the foreign object.
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In response, the district health department has ordered an inquiry. A four-member committee headed by Chief Medical Officer Manoj Kumar Sharma has been constituted to probe the matter.
“In January, she underwent surgery for childbirth at a private hospital in Araghar. Last month, they approached another hospital to diagnose the cause of the chronic pain she had been suffering. The ultrasound and computed tomography scan showed the presence of a gauze piece in her abdomen,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
“Since she had her surgery in January, it is believed to have been caused during the procedure. Following the findings, she was operated upon again, but she died Sunday. We have to investigate the claims of negligence against the hospital where her delivery took place.”
“Gauzes left behind cause pain, but rarely deaths, and it needs to be probed as to why this resulted in such a prolonged infection,” he said. “We need to investigate why this resulted in the death. A summons has been issued to the personnel and doctors who undertook the operation. Prima facie, they are trained and experienced, but we have yet to examine documents.”
The registration of the hospital has been cancelled and its license suspended pending the investigation. Meanwhile, officials are summoning the medical personnel involved, and a post-mortem report is awaited.
"Following a preliminary inquiry, we have sealed the hospital and cancelled its registration," Sharma told The New Indian Express. "A three-member committee headed by the ACMO has been constituted to investigate and report at the earliest."
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Family members and supporters of the deceased staged a protest outside Mother Care Hospital on Monday, demanding justice and strict action against those responsible. Tensions ran high during the demonstration, but police intervened and managed to disperse the crowd peacefully. Police Inspector Manoj Manwal from Dalanwala confirmed that a formal complaint has been registered and a case of alleged medical negligence is now under investigation.
