Needle lodged in body: Kerala health minister dismisses report

T'puram: Health minister K Muraleedharan said the govt was not accepting a report received at its face value on the alleged medical negligence at the Kozhencherry district hospital, after a patient claimed that a portion of a needle remained lodged inside her body following an injection administered at the hospital. Muraleedharan said the report had extended the “benefit of doubt” based on the possibility that the patient might have sought treatment elsewhere.

Muraleedharan said the district medical officer has been directed to carry out a more detailed inquiry and submit another report in the case. He said the person who administered the injection should be identified and questioned. “The report indicates there was negligence and the benefit of doubt cannot be given,” he said.

Vatsala (68), the complainant from Aranmula, alleged that the broken piece of needle remained inside her body for nearly a year.

‘Patients shouldn’t be made to lie on floor’

Muraleedharan said that patients should not be made to lie on the floor in govt hospitals and that the UDF govt would ensure adequate facilities to prevent such situations.

Speaking to newspersons on healthcare infrastructure and services on Monday, the minister said facilities required for surgeries must be strengthened and cleanliness should be ensured in hospitals. "The discussion should not be on how things were until now, but on what needs to be done going forward,” he said.

Muraleedharan said instructions had been issued to ensure the availability of medicines in hospitals and stressed that patients should not suffer due to shortages. He also directed strict adherence to surgical protocols.

The minister also said that new posts for doctors would be created to strengthen healthcare services. He added that two medical colleges sanctioned during the previous UDF govt had later been discontinued and that a decision had now been taken to revive them.