Napkin left inside woman’s abdomen: Action recommended against doctor, nursing officer

Khargone: A doctor and a nursing officer have been found responsible for leaving a surgical napkin inside a woman's abdomen during a Caesarean delivery at district hospital. The incident had prompted an inquiry by district collector.Khargone collector Bhavya Mittal said that the investigation report established negligence on the part of gynaecologist Dr Mohit Gupta and nursing officer Divya Verma. Based on the findings, a recommendation for action against both has been sent to health commissioner, Bhopal."The woman underwent a second surgery at a private hospital in Indore, where the surgical napkin was removed. Since she had not undergone any other surgical procedure in between, the inquiry ruled out any external factors or conspiracy, clearly attributing the lapse to the Caesarean operation performed at the district hospital," she said.The woman, Manisha, a resident of Selda village was on March 16 taken to government hospital in Bhikangaon after she developed labour pain and was later referred to district hospital. On March 17, she delivered a baby girl through a Caesarean section performed by Dr Mohit Gupta. She was discharged on March 21 but continued to experience abdominal pain. As her condition worsened, her family took her to Indore, where after initial examination at MY Hospital, she was shifted to a private hospital where tests revealed a foreign object in her abdomen. On March 31, she underwent a second surgery, during which a surgical napkin was removed. The incident triggered outrage, following which Collector had ordered an inquiry into the incident.