Alappuzha surgery row: Health minister orders probe; Dr Lalithambica denies role

Alappuzha: Dr Lalithambica has denied any role in the incident in which a surgical instrument was found inside a patient’s abdomen following a procedure at Alappuzha Medical College, Vandanam.

She told reporters that she could state with “100 per cent certainty” that she did not perform the surgery in question.

Dr Lalithambica said the period referred to was just before her retirement and that, as the unit chief at the time, her name would naturally appear in records. During that phase, she was actively involved in COVID-19 response work, prioritising treatment for pregnant women with the infection.

According to her, the patient had been admitted for the removal of a 3.5-kg tumour suspected to be cancerous, but she was not directly part of the surgery. She also claimed that she had never taken money from patients during her 38-year career and had treated even those referred by politicians without charge.

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Dr Lalithambica said it needed to be examined whether the instrument might have been left behind during an earlier surgery undergone by the patient. She added that blaming a single individual would be incorrect and that the issue reflected a systemic failure.

She acknowledged that no surgical item should be left inside a patient and that such incidents could occur if there was an error in counting instruments before and after surgery. In government hospitals, she said, this counting is usually done by doctors and nurses.

She maintained that the presence of an instrument inside the body would not necessarily cause complications and that it could remain there for years without harm. The patient’s persistent pain, she said, was due to a urinary stone detected in an ultrasound scan, not the retained object.

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Earlier, the patient, Usha Joseph, had said she consulted Dr Lalithambica in 2021 but did not know who actually performed the surgery.  

Veena George slams Dr Lalithambica

Health Minister Veena George on Friday rejected Dr Lalithambika’s statement, assured the family of full legal support, and said she did not accept the explanation offered. She also questioned whether the doctor would take the same stand if such an incident had occurred in her own family.

The minister also announced that an expert committee would be constituted to examine the allegations raised by the patient’s family and that its report would be handed over to the police. She added that those found responsible would be suspended pending investigation.