Thiruvananthapuram , 06 March (H.S.): A woman from Thiruvananthapuram has alleged serious medical negligence against a private hospital in the city, claiming that a piece of surgical cloth was left inside her abdomen during an operation.

The complaint has been submitted to the Chief Minister seeking action against the hospital authorities.

The allegation has been raised against the CSI Mission Hospital at Kazhakkoottam. The complainant, Sheeba Pramod, a resident of Menamkulam, said the surgical cloth was discovered months after she underwent an appendicitis operation at the hospital.

According to Sheeba, she initially visited the hospital on December 2 after suffering from fever. During her stay, she began experiencing severe abdominal pain the following day. Doctors advised a scan, after which they reportedly diagnosed her with appendicitis and recommended immediate surgery.

Sheeba said she underwent surgery on December 3. Hospital authorities reportedly informed her that the procedure had to be carried out urgently due to internal bleeding. She was later discharged from the hospital on December 12 after completing the post-operative observation period.

However, Sheeba claims that she continued to experience severe abdominal pain even months after the surgery. The surgical wound, she alleged, failed to heal properly and gradually became infected. Despite repeated consultations, the condition did not improve.

Concerned about the persistent pain and infection, Sheeba later sought treatment at another hospital. A scan conducted there reportedly revealed the presence of a cloth piece inside her abdomen, which doctors suspected had been left behind during the earlier surgery.

Following the discovery, doctors at the second hospital performed another surgery to remove the foreign object from her body.

In her complaint to the Chief Minister, Sheeba has demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and action against those responsible for the alleged medical negligence.

Meanwhile, authorities of the private hospital where the initial surgery was performed said they were not certain how the cloth piece entered the patient’s abdomen. Hospital officials stated that it was unclear from where or how the material had ended up inside her body.

The incident has raised concerns about surgical safety standards and post-operative monitoring in private healthcare facilities. Health authorities are expected to examine the complaint and determine whether medical negligence occurred during the procedure.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman