The Public Health Department has ordered departmental action against a Medical Officer attached to the upgraded Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Uchipuli near here, and suspended a staff nurse for ‘leaving behind’ a broken part of a needle after completing episiotomy (surgical cut made at the opening of the vagina during childbirth to prevent rupture of tissues) procedure on a woman after she delivered a baby.
The police and hospital sources said K. Ramya, 21, wife of Karthi, a construction worker from Sethupathy Nagar near Uchipuli, visited the PHC on November 17, after she started experiencing labour pain. She delivered a baby girl on November 19. The delivery was normal after staff nurses performed an episiotomy.
However, while closing the surgical cut with sutures, the nurses allegedly left behind a portion of the broken needle inside the woman’s body. As the woman complained of pain and bleeding, she was referred to the Government Headquarters Hospital here on Wednesday, where an X-ray revealed that a broken needle was embedded in her body.
Soon, she was referred to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, where a team of doctors removed the needle after a two-hour-long surgical procedure. Alleging dereliction on the part of the nurses and doctors, family members of Ramya and local residents staged a protest at the PHC on Thursday.
As residents continued their protest even after Public Health Department officials explained that the broken needle had been removed and the woman was stable, Deputy Director (Public Health) P. Kumaragurubaran ordered the suspension of staff nurse Anbagaselvi and departmental action against Medical Officer Mohamed Jasir. Further action would be initiated against the Medical Officer and staff nurses after a detailed departmental inquiry, Dr. Kumaragurubaran said.
