Man says doctor left mop inside wife's stomach after C-section delivery. 'Spent lakhs on treatment'

Farmer and trader Gagandeep B said he had to take his wife to a different hospital for a second surgery after the doctor refused to accept responsibility for the 'medical negligence'. (Image credit: @deepubangaradka/X)

A man from Karnataka has alleged that a doctor from a Mangaluru hospital left a surgical mop inside his wife's stomach after conducting a C-section delivery. Farmer and trader Gagandeep B said that due to the complications that arose from this "medical negligence," his wife was left with body pain so acute that she could not even breastfeed their newborn baby. A case has been filed against the doctor.

The family made the discovery after conducting a CT scan. Taking to X, Gagandeep said that even after the scan revealed the presence of a foreign body inside his wife's body, Dr Anil S of Puttur City Hospital--who had conducted the surgery--insisted that it was a blood clot, scolded him and sent them home after prescribing a few tablets claiming the clot would dissolve in a few months.

Over the next few days, Gagandeep's wife's condition worsened. She faced "acute joint, wrist, and leg pain" and "wasn't able to walk, stand, or even lift her baby to feed," he claimed. "By that time the infection had spread across her lungs, blood, and other parts. She was almost on the verge of losing her life because of this medical crime," Gagandeep wrote on X.

The family rushed her to another hospital where after doctors conducted more tests, operated on the woman on January 25 and removed the surgical mop. The woman was discharged on February 15.

"We have undergone tremendous stress. We have posted the issue on the National Consumer Grievance portal and Department of Consumer Affairs. We have spent lakhs of rupees on treatment," Gagandeep said, adding that the episode has left him in dire straits as he lost his crops as well. "I'm a small farmer, I lost my crops because I was not able to irrigate the fields in this peak summer time. We suffered from mental agony, stress, physical pains and lost all trust in the hospital and its doctors. How can one even put a value to the infant's loss of access to breastmilk?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada district health and family welfare officer Dr Thimmaiah HR told the Times of India that a thorough probe would be conducted.