Thiruvananthapuram: Sumayya, the 26-year-old patient, who was left with a guidewire inside her body following a surgery at the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital in 2023, will file a lawsuit at the Permanent Lok Adalat, Thiruvananthapuram, seeking a compensation of ₹1 crore. The compensation will be sought from the state government, state health department and the doctor.

Sumayya had undergone a thyroid surgery at the hospital on March 20, 2023, but had since developed breathing difficulties and experienced swelling. In April 2025, an X-ray examination done at the Regional Cancer Centre revealed the 50-cm guide wire which was left inside her body after the surgery.

The Superintendent of the General Hospital sought the opinion of the Sree Chithra Institute of Medical Sciences and a report was given which said that there needn't be any concern for health complications due to the presence of the guide wire inside the body.

In August 2025, an expert committee comprising specialists in cardiovascular thoracic surgery, radio diagnosis, anesthesiology, general surgery of the Medical Education directorate, Health department led by the Additional Director, Health services was constituted to probe the complaint. A meeting was convened in the chamber of the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College superintendent in Septembr 2025. All the staff associated with the surgery were also asked to turn up before the committee. The committee was later expanded with specialists in interventional radiology, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery from the Sree Chithra Institute of Medical Sciences. The Medical board constituted by the state government to examine the issue had advised against retrieval of the guidewire citing potential harm to the patient.

Sumayya told Onmanorama that the doctor who had performed the surgery assured her it could be removed and told her not to worry. This came as a relief to Sumayya, who just wanted the object removed. "My husband wanted to move legally, but I stopped him in the hopes that we can get it removed with the doctor's help," she said.

However, during advanced screening, a CT scan revealed that the instrument had fused with the blood vessel, and a coating had also formed over it, complicating its removal.

At this stage, her doctor informed her that it needn't be removed and assured her that it would not affect her well-being. "The doctor can say that, but it is my life that is being affected," she said.

Sumayya's lawyer, Advocate Shobi Joseph, said that the incident would impact her life expectancy and quality of life. "After all, a foreign object was negligently left inside her body," he said, explaining the grounds for the lawsuit. The Cantonment police had filed a case of medical negligence against the surgeon at General Hospital following Sumayya's complaint.