Five Years Later, X-Ray Reveals Surgical Tool Left Inside Woman After 2021 Surgery In Kerala

Last Updated:February 20, 2026, 10:38 IST

Health Minister Veena George said that officials involved in the surgery who are still in government service would be suspended as part of the ongoing investigation.

A shocking case of alleged medical negligence has surfaced in Kerala after a surgical instrument was discovered inside a woman’s abdomen nearly five years after she underwent an operation.

The foreign object, an artery forceps, reportedly came to light during a recent medical examination prompted by persistent abdominal pain.

The woman had a surgery at Alappuzha Medical College in Vandanam, five years ago, her relatives said on Friday.

The victim, identified as Usha Joseph was moved to a private hospital in Kochi on Friday for a procedure to remove the surgical tool. Her relatives said Joseph had surgery to remove a uterine fibroid at the medical college in May 2021. After the surgery, she suffered from ongoing abdominal pain, her son Shibin told reporters, news agency PTI reported.

He further claimed that even after visiting doctors at the same hospital several times, the cause of her pain was not found. Recently, Joseph saw a doctor thinking the pain was from a kidney stone, who advised an X-ray.

Shibin said the X-ray showed an artery forceps, and doctors at the medical college offered to remove it next week.

He said, “We don’t want any more problems, so we moved to a private hospital. The doctors here will scan and find the exact location and will do the surgery soon."

He said the family wants the surgical instrument removed from his mother’s body at the earliest and alleged that doctors at the medical college informed them that no compensation would be provided for the lapse.

“The doctors at the medical college told us we could file a complaint if we wanted. We have now decided to file a complaint at the Ambalapuzha police station," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Lalithambika, a retired surgeon at Government Medical College Alappuzha, denied the allegation, telling reporters that she had not performed the surgery in question.

“The surgery happened just before my retirement, when I was not handling any major cases. As the unit chief, my name was recorded. Also, the surgery happened during COVID, and I was busy with that," she said.

She also denied taking money from patients before surgery. “I did not take any money from patients for any surgery. You can ask any patient I treated," she said.

She said it was not a scissor but a mosquito forceps, a very small tool, found in Joseph’s body.

“The X-ray shows a magnified view. A mosquito forceps is a small surgical tool used to clamp small blood vessels. This should not happen," she said.

Blaming the error on a systemic failure at the government hospital, she said, “Usually, a floor nurse records the instruments used during surgery on a board and counts them once the procedure is completed. However, in government hospitals, there are no floor nurses, and this practice is not followed."

Lalithambika said Joseph had surgery earlier too, and it needs to be checked if the tool was left from that procedure.

“This instrument can stay in the body for 20 to 30 years," she said.

Health Minister Veena George said that officials involved in the surgery who are still in government service would be suspended as part of the ongoing investigation. She added that a preliminary inquiry had been conducted and the report submitted to the Director of Medical Education (DME).

“This is a painful incident that should not have happened. Based on the preliminary report, the DME has formed an expert committee of senior doctors to do a detailed investigation," she said.

She said expert doctors from Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram Medical Colleges have been sent to Alappuzha Medical College for the inquiry.

“The team is expected to give a detailed report soon. Based on the report, all legal steps will be taken without any leniency. The report will also be sent to the police for legal action," she said.

George said she spoke to Joseph’s family, who told her about consulting the concerned doctor at her home. “As part of the inquiry, it will also be checked if such a consultation happened. The family’s claim shows that after getting a non-practising allowance, doctors are doing medical practice at home," she said.

Responding to Dr Lalithambika’s comments about system failure at government medical colleges, the minister said, “All hospitals follow WHO guidelines. Government hospitals are working according to all the rules. It’s easy to blame the system."

George said Dr Lalithambika’s claim itself is a violation of norms. “How can a surgery be done without a scrub nurse? If such a surgery happens, that itself is a violation. The doctor said she doesn’t remember the patient but is sure she didn’t do the surgery. This is suspicious."

The Health Minister said such lapses would not be tolerated, recalling a similar incident in 2017. She asserted that doctors cannot trivialise the matter by claiming that surgical instruments can remain inside the body for years without consequence.

George added that a medical board would be constituted to examine the case, noting that the patient is currently admitted to a private hospital.

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