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.
