Opposition targets Kerala government over surgical lapse at Alappuzha Medical College

KOCHI: The opposition in Kerala on Friday decided to corner the state government over a recent medical negligence incident in which a surgical instrument was found inside the abdomen of a woman, five years after she underwent surgery at Alappuzha Medical College.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that government hospitals in Kerala have become examples of mismanagement and that Punnapra native Usha Joseph, in whose abdomen a forceps was recently found after a surgery in 2021 at Alappuzha Medical College, is its latest victim.

According to him, due to system failure, common people are unable to approach government hospitals and medical colleges in the state with confidence. "If the system is wrong, the minister is there to rectify it. After a similar incident took place in Kozhikode, no steps were taken to ensure that it would not be repeated." He said no explanation from the government over repeated incidents is acceptable to the public.

Govt should provide medical expenses, says minister

"The government should immediately take over the medical expenses of Usha Joseph. All assistance and support should be provided to her and her family," he said. Chennithala further alleged that people who walk into medical colleges for treatment are returning dead. He also claimed that medical officials who raise questions about the functioning of government hospitals and medical colleges are being suppressed.

"The government has enough money to put up boards for its programmes. Does the government not have money for poor people?" he asked. Congress MP K C Venugopal, who represents the Alappuzha parliamentary constituency, said instances of alleged medical negligence are becoming frequent in government facilities. "The government claims that it is number one in health care. But this is the reality," he said.

Venugopal said he had contacted Joseph on Thursday night, and she was in tears. "She worked under the employment guarantee scheme with this instrument in her abdomen, bearing the pain. It is a system failure that the instrument remained in her body undetected for five years," he said. He alleged that even when such errors are reported, medical authorities take them lightly.

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Family approached medical college doctors

"The family told me that when they approached the medical college doctors, they were directed not to reveal this to anyone. This shows that steps are being taken to cover up the incident instead of taking remedial measures," he said. He said that after the incident came to light, he expected the state government to take necessary action.

"Joseph is afraid to go to the government hospital. The government should have taken measures to provide alternative facilities. Instead, she was told by the medical college authorities to come to them next Monday," Venugopal said. Joseph is currently admitted to a hospital in Kochi, where she is expected to undergo surgery to remove the surgical instrument, suspected to be an artery forceps or mosquito forceps. Health Minister Veena George has announced an inquiry into the incident and suspended the medical officials who carried out the surgery.