Woman undergoes second surgery after forceps left in abdomen

A 25-year-old woman who underwent a Caesarean procedure began feeling intense pain in her abdomen two days after she was released from a Kuala Lumpur hospital.

She was told it was normal after such a procedure but the pain in her left abdomen intensified when moving or changing body positions, causing her to vomit frequently.

When she sought a second opinion at another hospital, she was horrified to find that a forceps had been left behind in her body.

She was then required to undergo a second operation to remove the forceps, the woman's lawyers, Aloysius Cornelius Susek and Tisya Yunus, said in a statement today.

The woman then initiated a suit for medical negligence against the doctors and medical staff who performed the Caesarean surgery and the hospital itself at the Shah Alam Sessions Court in July.

Aloysius told The Star that the hospital agreed to a settlement in December, and that a consent judgment would be recorded on Jan 6.

"Thankfully, the mother and baby are all right. The mother did not sustain any further injuries but she was very traumatised," he said.

"Although all medical practitioners are bound by their code of ethics and professionalism, human error can occur, and cases of medical negligence are fairly common, to varying degrees.

"Nonetheless, human error does not excuse the negligence committed," the woman's lawyers said. - Mkini