A shocking incident of medical negligence has come to light from Maharashtra where doctors of a government hospital allegedly left a used cloth in a woman's stomach in Latur. The alleged incident came to light four months after the woman underwent a caesarean operation and started experiencing stomach pain. She was immediately rushed to a private hospital, where a CT scan revealed the presence of cloth in her stomach. Health officials in Maharashtra’s Latur district have now ordered a probe. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the probe, said an official on Wednesday.
In his complaint, Habiba Wasim Jevale said his wife had a caesarean section at the hospital in the Ausa area in April and was subsequently discharged. However, she returned to the hospital after nearly three weeks complaining of stomach pain. The woman was referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Latur where she spent 20 days, said Jevale. She put up with abdominal discomfort for about four months. When she could not bear it any longer, she was recently taken to a private hospital at Omarga town in the Dharashiv district where a scan showed the presence of a piece of gauze in her body, claimed her husband. Jevale then filed a complaint with Dr Sunita Patil, the in-charge of Ausa Civil Hospital, demanding suspension of the doctor and nurse who performed the C-section delivery.
Patil said the matter has been reported to senior health officials and a committee has been formed to probe Jevale’s allegations. “A notice has been issued to a doctor and a nurse concerning the incident,” she told PTI. District Civil Surgeon Dr Pradeep Dhele said the patient first received care at the Ausa hospital before going to the Latur facility and later a private hospital. “An inquiry committee has been formed. The hospitals should submit all reports. We will also verify the statements of the doctors concerned,” added Dhele.