Kochi, February 21 – Usha Josephkutty (51), a native of Punnapra in the Alappuzha district, who had been living with a surgical instrument inside her abdomen for five years due to alleged negligence during a procedure at the Government Medical College Hospital in Vandanam, has successfully undergone surgery to remove it.
The procedure was carried out on Saturday at a private hospital in Kochi, where doctors removed a long, curved artery forceps that had allegedly been left behind during a hysterectomy performed in May 2021.
As a criminal case has been registered in connection with the incident, the surgery was conducted under strict supervision and vigilance.
Two doctors from Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, were present during the procedure as part of the monitoring process.
The surgical instrument removed from her abdomen has been handed over to the Ambalappuzha Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) as material evidence and will be subjected to forensic examination as part of the ongoing investigation.
Usha had been suffering from persistent abdominal pain and blood in her urine since the hysterectomy in 2021. Despite seeking treatment at multiple hospitals over the past several years, the underlying cause remained undetected.
It was only after a urology specialist in Alappuzha advised her to undergo an X-ray examination last week that the presence of the forceps inside her abdomen was detected, bringing to light the alleged surgical lapse.
Her relatives have alleged that certain doctors attempted to dissuade them from making the matter public after the discovery of the instrument.
The Kerala Health Department has admitted to a lapse in the incident and attributed it to the extraordinary pressures faced by the healthcare system during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
Following the incident, the Director of Medical Education suspended Associate Professor Dr J. Shahida, who had led the surgical team during the hysterectomy, and nurse P.S. Dhanya pending further investigation.
Hospital records indicate that a nine-member medical team had conducted the original procedure, and standard protocol required surgical instruments to be counted both before and after the operation. However, a serious lapse is now suspected in the instrument accounting process.
Since Friday, when the incident came to light, a sharp political confrontation has emerged between Health Minister Veena George and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, along with other Congress leaders, over the alleged negligence.
While the Health Minister defended the department’s response and the actions taken so far, the Opposition accused the government of gross negligence and failure to ensure accountability in government-run medical institutions.
Congress workers also staged protests at several locations, raising slogans against the Health Minister and the government, further escalating the political tensions surrounding the incident.
With protests intensifying and demands for accountability growing louder, the incident has snowballed into a major controversy for the state government, particularly at a time when Kerala is approaching a crucial electoral period.
