Rayagada: Doctors at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam have removed a metre long surgical gauge from the abdomen of a woman allegedly left by doctors of Rayagada district headquarters hospital during a caesarean section surgery.
The surgical gauge remained inside the woman’s abdomen for nearly four months before it was removed on February 5 this year.
According to a written complaint lodged with the police, Kanchan Halba, wife of Chetan Halba of Biriguda village under Laxmipur police limits in Koraput district had undergone caesarian section surgery at the district headquarters hospital here on October 3 last year.
The surgery was allegedly conducted on Kanchan by Dr Latika Behera of the Obstetrics Department of the hospital and Kanchan was discharged from the hospital after five days on October 10, 2021.
After 15 days as Kanchan complained of pain in her stomach, she again visited the district headquarters hospital.
The attending doctor at the hospital, Dr Prafulla Padhi allegedly told Kanchan that there was no problem and dispensed a few medicines to her.
After three months Kanchan again complained of pain and it was increasing with every passing day.
On January 31, this year her family members took her to the district headquarters hospital at Koraput where doctors after conducting ultrasonography on her found that there was some foreign object inside her abdomen. They told her that it required surgery and referred her to MKCG Medical College & Hospital at Berhampur/SCB Medical College & Hospital at Cuttack as it involved risk to the patient’s life.
Feeling hopeless, Kanchan’s husband Chetan arranged money by mortgaging the family’s land and jewellery took her to Visakhapatnam and admitted her to Indus Hospital on February 4 and on February 5 the doctors removed a metre long surgical gauge piece from her abdomen.
“I had to spend around Rs 10-15 lakh on this account,” said Chetan.
“We had to mortgage the family’s land and gold to arrange the money. We have lodged a complaint with the police on this account. We need to be compensated. We have suffered a lot for someone’s act of negligence,” Jalandhar Halba, father-in-law of Kanchan.
On the other hand, Rayagada Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr Lalmohan Routray has said the alleged incident has happened before his tenure but he can conduct an inquiry provided he has a written complaint of the negligent act.
Rayagada Collector Saroj Kumar Mishra has said that he will direct the CDMO to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Mishra assured that persons responsible for the lapse will be taken to task after inquiry.
