Medical negligence case: Kerala HC to hear Harshina's argument on July 17

Kozhikode: The Kerala High Court is set to hear K.K. Harshina's plea regarding the unsettling incident involving forceps  found in her abdomen. Scheduled for July 17, this pivotal hearing follows a petition filed by the primary and secondary defendants, who are doctors implicated in the case.

Legal proceedings at the Kunnamangalam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court were recently halted in response to the High Court's intervention, pausing any further developments until subsequent orders.

The petition, brought forth by C.K. Rameshan (42), Assistant Professor of the department of Obstretics and Gynecology at Government Medical College, and M. Shahina (32), a gynecologist at a private hospital in Kottayam, centres on an alarming medical negligence during Harshina's Caesarean section done at Kozhikode Medical College hospital back in 2017.

Following the procedure, Harshina endured persistent abdominal pain, prompting an MRI scan that revealed a pair of artery forceps left inside her. The medical instrument was finally extracted during a 2022 surgery.

After that, she has been on the warpath demanding justice, and an Action Committee also was formed, seeking compensation and action against the erring hospital staff.

While a team of medical experts failed to find those responsible for the medical negligence, a police probe after their investigation charged two gynaecologists and two nurses in the case. 

Initially awarded Rs. 2 lakhs in compensation, Harshina continued her protest, arguing that the sum inadequately addressed her five years of suffering. This outcry prompted a thorough police investigation, which has now identified those deemed culpable for the medical oversight.