A specialist medical facility in Thiruvananthapuram is facing allegations of clinical negligence after a surgical cloth was reportedly discovered inside a woman’s abdomen months after she underwent surgery.
Sheeba Pramod, a resident of Menamkulam in Kazhakkoottam, had an emergency appendectomy at CSI Mission Hospital on December 3. She was discharged nine days later but reportedly struggled to recover, enduring severe pain and emotional distress for nearly three months.
According to her family, the surgical wound failed to heal properly and Sheeba continued to experience persistent abdominal pain. Concerned about her worsening condition, she later sought a second opinion at another private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Diagnostic scans conducted there allegedly revealed the presence of a foreign object inside her abdominal cavity. Doctors reportedly identified the object as a surgical cloth or gauze that had been left inside during the earlier procedure. The object was said to have caused a small perforation at the surgical site.
Sheeba subsequently returned to CSI Mission Hospital, where doctors performed a second procedure to remove the cloth.
Video footage circulating online is said to show the moment the blood-stained cloth was removed from the infected wound.
Senior staff at the hospital have said they are “unaware” of how the cloth came to be inside the patient’s body. According to hospital representatives, the item could have been left behind during treatment at another facility Sheeba visited for pain relief.
However, Sheeba and her family have rejected the hospital’s explanation and are demanding accountability.
The family has filed a formal complaint with the Chief Minister’s office, calling for a high-level investigation into the alleged lapse.
“We want strict action against those responsible for three months of needless suffering,” Sheeba said.
The family has also initiated legal proceedings against the hospital, accusing it of medical malpractice. Authorities are expected to review the case as part of the complaint.
