Apollo Hospital to pay for leaving swab inside patient

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram district Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum has directed Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and its subsidiary Apollo First Med Hospital to pay Rs 1.5 lakh for allegedly leaving a swab inside a patient hailing from the capital during a surgery. After the  complainant, R. Mini, of Chirakkulam suffered for six months,  the swab was  surgically removed  at Anadyil Hospital  here.

Mini and her husband were working in the  same IT company in Chennai.  In 2002, since she did not conceive for six months after marriage, she took the treatment from Dr. Rani Nandakumar of the hospital. In January 2003, she developed bleeding and it was  confirmed as ectopic (tubal) pregnancy that required surgery. 

From the third day of surgery, she developed severe stomach pain and vomiting. She was referred to the gastro entomologist in a subsidiary hospital. The vomiting subsided but stomach pain persisted and she was prescribed certain medicines after scans. During the shuttling between hospitals the couple had to give up the job. After six months of pain, in 2003, they consulted Dr Fazil of Anadyil Hospital and the  surgical sponge was extracted. A bench headed by forum president P. Sudhir ordered the relief.