Minister admits to surgical lapse at GH in Thiruvananthapuram, promises action

He also criticised the minister for disclosing the patient’s medical details during Monday’s Question Hour and urged the Speaker to take note of it.

Health and Women and Child Development Minister Veena George Photo | Express

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Veena George has acknowledged the lapse on the part of the surgeon who left a guide wire inside a female patient at the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

“It has been found that there was a lapse on the part of the doctor who left the guide wire behind. We will take strict action after receiving the full report,” Veena George stated.

“Further action will be taken to remove the guide wire from the woman, based on the expert committee’s report, and we will ensure she receives free treatment in government hospitals,” she added.

The minister’s comments came in response to allegations made by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, who claimed the government had failed to take the patient’s complaint seriously and had not offered any compensation measures.

He also criticised the minister for disclosing the patient’s medical details during Monday’s Question Hour and urged the Speaker to take note of it.

The incident involves 26-year-old S Sumayya, a woman from Kattakada, who underwent thyroid surgery at General Hospital in 2023.

The guide wire was discovered only in March 2025 during an X-ray taken for her cancer treatment at RCC.