Alappuzha: The principal of Alappuzha Medical College, Dr B Padma Kumar, on Friday said the hospital has launched both preliminary and detailed inquiries after a surgical instrument was reportedly found inside a woman’s abdomen five years after her surgery.

The hospital has taken two immediate steps, the principal said. A committee comprising the principal, RMO and superintendent conducted a preliminary review of case sheets and related records and submitted its findings to the government. In addition, a four-member committee headed by RMO Dr Lekshmi PL has been constituted for a detailed probe. The other members are Surgery Head Dr Sajikumar NR, Gynaecology Professor Dr Anasooya PS and Associate Professor Dr Rakhin KB from the Forensics department.

According to Dr Padma Kumar, the Punnapra native, then aged 48, approached the medical college hospital on May 10, 2021, with complaints of abdominal bulging. Doctors diagnosed a large uterine tumour weighing about 3.5 kg and performed surgery, after which she was discharged within two days. The hospital said there was no follow-up visit. The procedure was conducted by Dr Shahida under the unit of Dr Lalithambika Karunakaran, former Professor and Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Dr Shahida is currently not employed at the medical college.

The principal said an artery forceps was later detected inside the woman’s body when she consulted a urologist. When she returned to the medical college, doctors advised immediate admission for removal surgery. However, she declined, citing her husband’s health condition and her son’s needs, and later got admitted to a private hospital.

Calling the incident unfortunate, the principal noted that the surgery took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the institution was functioning under significant limitations. Meanwhile, Youth Congress workers barged into the room during the press conference held in Alappuzha.

The case
The woman Usha Joseph has alleged that the instrument remained inside her abdomen for five years after she underwent fibroid removal surgery in May 2021. Her son Shibin said she had been suffering recurring abdominal pain since the procedure and that the cause was not identified despite multiple hospital visits. The issue surfaced only after an X-ray, taken during a recent consultation for suspected kidney stones, reportedly revealed the forceps. Though the medical college offered to remove it, the family shifted her to a private hospital in Kochi and plans to file a complaint with Ambalapuzha police.

Dr Lalithambika responds
Meanwhile, retired surgeon Dr Lalithambika, against whom allegations were raised, denied performing the surgery. She said her name appeared in records as unit chief and clarified that the instrument seen in the X-ray was a small mosquito forceps, not scissors. She termed the incident a system failure but acknowledged that no instrument should be left inside the body and that surgical tools must be counted before and after every procedure.

Lalithambika also said the woman had undergone surgery earlier and suggested the instrument might have been left during that procedure. She added that she does not recall the patient and was engaged in Covid-related duties at the time.

Health Minister Veena George said officials involved in the surgery who are still in government service will be suspended as part of the inquiry. She added that the Director of Medical Education has constituted an expert committee and that strict legal action will follow based on its findings. The minister also rejected claims of systemic lapses, stating that government hospitals follow WHO guidelines.