Aranmula woman alleges broken needle left inside body at government hospital

In a fresh allegation of medical negligence in Kerala, that too in former Health Minister Veena George's constituency, a 62-year-old woman has accused the Government District Hospital Kozhencherry of leaving a broken syringe needle inside her body for nearly a year.

The allegation was raised by Valsala, a native of Aranmula, who said she had been admitted to the hospital last year after suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea caused by food poisoning. According to her, she was hospitalised for four days and received multiple injections on her buttocks during treatment.

“Even after returning home, I continued to experience numbness and severe bruising at the spot where I received the injection. Initially, I thought it was just an after-effect of the medicine. But the discomfort never subsided, and the pain gradually worsened,” she said.

Valsala said she recently developed swelling and pus discharge, following which she again approached the hospital on May 19. Doctors advised her to undergo an X-ray examination, which revealed a broken needle lodged inside her buttocks.

“She was later referred to a surgeon and underwent surgery on Thursday. One large broken piece was removed during the procedure. Hospital authorities said a remaining fragment can only be removed through another procedure at a later stage," her son Deepu said.

“They told us to return if she experiences pain again in the future,” he added.

Valsala, however, said she wanted both pieces removed completely and did not want to continue suffering. “I cannot sit, sleep or even lie down properly because of the pain,” she said. The family has not yet filed a police complaint in the matter.

A VB-GRAM worker, Valsala, said the pain has affected her ability to continue working.

“We have always depended on government hospitals for treatment. I used to visit the Kozhencherry hospital only, and that is why I strongly believe the lapse happened there itself. I did not undergo treatment at any other hospital after that either,” she said.

Meanwhile, a senior hospital official said removing both pieces during the same surgery was medically difficult and that another procedure would be required to remove the remaining fragment.

“An X-ray revealed the presence of a foreign object broken into two pieces inside her body. The duty doctor initially attempted to remove it but was unsuccessful and immediately referred the case to the surgeon. Since surgeries were already scheduled that day, the patient was asked to return the next day. After another examination and X-ray, the surgeon proceeded with the operation and removed the larger fragment,” he said.

According to him, the wound was severely infected, making it difficult to remove the second piece during the same surgery. “The second fragment was located much deeper. We advised the patient to continue antibiotics and reduce the inflammation and infection before attempting another surgery,” he said.

The hospital official also raised the possibility that the object recovered might not be a hypodermic needle used for injections. “There was some confusion regarding the patient’s history. Earlier, her husband had mentioned the possibility of a stitching needle accidentally piercing her body,” he said.

However, the family strongly rejected the claim. “She does not do stitching work. She also has eyesight issues, so how could she be using stitching needles?” Deepu asked.

The hospital official also claimed the recovered object did not resemble a hypodermic needle. “The needle we removed did not appear to be a hypodermic one as it lacked a bore. It had rust on it, whereas hypodermic needles generally do not rust. Such needles also usually do not cause this level of infection,” he said.

He also admitted that the hospital made a mistake by handing over the recovered piece to the patient instead of preserving it for examination. “The recovered needle appeared shiny as well, unlike regular hypodermic needles. We are also trying to trace records of the woman’s treatment at the hospital last year,” he added.

The superintendent said the matter had been reported to the police and that the hospital authorities were examining whether the needle had indeed been left inside the woman’s body during treatment at the hospital. He added that the woman had been asked to return on Saturday for a follow-up examination.