‘Should not be exaggerated’: MV Govindan calls medical lapses isolated incidents in Kerala

CPM state secretary M V Govindan on Sunday described recent instances of medical negligence, including the discovery of an artery forceps inside a woman’s abdomen after surgery, as “isolated cases” that should not be overstated. He stressed that such occurrences were not routine.

He was replying to media queries about the case of Usha Joseph (51), a native of Punnapra, in whose abdomen an artery forceps was found following a surgery to remove a uterine fibroid at Alappuzha Medical College in May 2021.

"There are lakhs of surgeries taking place. It should not be exaggerated without considering the number of surgeries being conducted here. One or two incidents may have happened, and it is not a regular occurrence," the CPM leader said.

Govindan alleged that certain sections of the media and the Opposition were amplifying a handful of incidents to attack the State government. "We are addressing such lapses properly, and officials have been suspended. You cannot say that these incidents are regular here. They are only isolated incidents," he said.

He added that while such mistakes were unacceptable, corrective measures were being implemented. "The health sector is a very sensitive area, and it is handled with utmost care. But a few isolated incidents may happen. The government and the minister have said that steps would be taken to ensure such incidents do not happen again," he said.

Govindan also termed the protest by doctors’ associations against the action taken in the negligence case as natural. However, he criticised the Youth Congress demonstration, including the placing of a wreath at the residence of Health Minister Veena George in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.

He cautioned that continued actions of this nature could provoke retaliation from party workers. "Then it will lead to a major clash. The Youth Congress and the UDF are trying to create such a situation. There is a conspiracy to disturb the peace existing in Kerala now, and it is with the knowledge of the UDF," he alleged.

Echoing similar sentiments, Minister Saji Cherian said in Pathanamthitta that medical lapses were not unprecedented in the State and that the government had consistently taken action whenever such incidents surfaced.

"Such incidents have happened before, are happening now and may take place in future. In such cases, proper steps have to be initiated, and the state government has taken them," he said. He added that the health minister had promptly initiated procedures once the latest case came to light.

Cherian further claimed that Veena George was being deliberately singled out by the Youth Congress in the wake of the protests. "The CPM state secretariat, after discussing the matter, has issued a statement. If such incidents happen, as a party, we will have to protect her," he said.

Questioning the nature of the protest, he referred to the blocking of the minister and the placing of a wreath at her residence. "They placed a wreath, which is kept on a dead body. Will anyone in the world act like this," he asked.

Cherian maintained that certain sections of the media were inflating a few isolated incidents in the health sector. "When such incidents happened, she has rightly intervened and taken action," he said.

Meanwhile, Ambalapuzha police, who registered a case based on a complaint from Joseph’s relatives, have taken custody of the artery forceps that were removed during a subsequent surgery at a private hospital in Kochi. Officials confirmed receipt of the preliminary inquiry report submitted by the Department of Medical Education.

Police said doctors and nurses involved in the original surgery at the Medical College would soon be questioned. In a statement, Amrita Hospital, where Joseph later underwent surgery to remove the instrument, said her condition remains stable. The hospital added that she continues to be under observation in the ICU under medical supervision.