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Kerala Forceps Left After 2021 Surgery Removed as Police Open Criminal Case

Officials now rely on forensic testing to establish who is accountable.

Overview

  • Surgeons at Amrita Hospital in Kochi removed a seven-centimetre artery forceps on Saturday under government supervision.
  • The instrument was handed to Ambalappuzha police as material evidence for forensic examination.
  • Police registered a case naming retired department head Dr Lalithambika, with investigators indicating more accused may be added.
  • The Director of Medical Education suspended Dr J. Shahida, identified as the surgeon who performed the 2021 procedure, and staff nurse P. S. Dhanya as an expert panel reviews the lapse.
  • Political tensions escalated with Youth Congress activists entering Health Minister Veena George’s residence, while the patient’s family describes years of pain before an X-ray revealed the device.