Woman Dies 5 Days after Delivery as TN Docs Leave 'Cloth' in Abdomen, Husband Files FIR against Hosp

Chennai: A man has filed an FIR against a government hospital in Cuddalore for negligence that led to his wife’s death after delivering a baby through Caesarian section.

On January 1, five days after giving birth to a girl at the Virudhachalam Government Hospital, 24-year-old Priya passed away while undergoing treatment at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Hospital in Puducherry.

Her husband, Rajkumar, has now filed an FIR against the government hospital in Cuddalore after doctors at JIPMER alleged that a piece of cloth, the size of a handkerchief, was found in Priya’s abdomen.

“Around 10:30pm on December 27, my wife had to be rushed to the hospital. No scanning was done after she was admitted in the hospital. Around 11:40pm, my daughter was born through the C-section. For the next three days, my wife kept vomiting and did not eat anything. Priya told me she was having severe pain. On December 31, she started behaving strangely. Around afternoon, she developed a memory loss and could not remember anyone around her except me… not even her baby,” said Rajkumar.

He then decided to shift his wife to the private hospital in Puducherry as he felt doctors at the government hospital were not doing enough even as she complained of chest pain and seemed very sick.

“Around 3am on January 1, doctors at JIPMER told me that Priya was critical and they were giving her the best possible treatment. A surgery took place. While they were treating her, they asked me about the doctor who performed the C-section on my wife at the government hospital. The doctors said they wanted to talk to the particular doctor, but there was no response from the latter. A team of doctors did some scans and tests soon after.

“My wife passed away at 8pm that evening. A doctor, who was part of the team treating my wife and had seen me in that helpless state during the entire period at JIPMER, told me they found a piece of cloth roughly the size of a handkerchief in Priya’s abdomen. The doctor said it could be the cloth the hospital uses to clean the body after a surgery. The doctors have said they were ready to speak at the court regarding my wife’s death,” Rajkumar added.

Authorities at the Virudhachalam Government Hospital said they were awaiting an official report from JIPMER.

A senior official at the hospital said, “The patient’s family decided to go to JIPMER hospital after getting her discharged from here. At JIPMER, they did another operation, but could not save the patient. They are suspecting post-surgery infection. We have asked for an official report from JIPMER. The treatment undertaken… and the findings. We are yet to receive the report.”

The official said an internal inquiry was conducted but no evidence of infection was found till the time the patient was being treated at the government hospital.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Health Department has issued a notice to the hospital seeking a report on the treatment given to the 24-year-old woman.