Towel left in Ludhiana woman’s womb: Committee led by SMO records statements of doctors, staff

Sources in the department said that the towel/mop cloth, which is counted before initiating the C-section, was not counted after the procedure

A day after doctors and staff, who carried out a caesarean operation at the civil hospital on December 8, were accused of leaving a towel inside a woman’s womb, a three-member committee, constituted under Dr Mala, senior medical officer (SMO) of mother and child unit, took their statements.

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Addressing the media, Dr Mala said that a probe had been initiated, and the report will be submitted before the senior officials at the earliest.

Sources in the department said that the towel/mop cloth, which is counted before initiating the C-section, was not counted after the procedure.

On the other hand, Ravinder Singh, the woman’s husband, said that if any action is not taken by Tuesday, then he, along with his relatives, will again sit on dharna at the civil hospital. He also claimed that a few doctors of the civil hospital were mounting pressure on him to settle the case and even offered him money to not pursue the matter further.

The matter had come to light on Sunday after Ravinder Singh, accompanied by his relatives and a few social activists, staged a sit-in protest outside the mother and child unit of the civil hospital and demanded stringent action against the operating doctors and the staff for gross negligence. Taking serious note of the incident, civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga had marked an inquiry into the matter.