THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 26-year-old woman from Malayinkeezhu has allegedly accused doctors at the general hospital here for their medical negligence following complications from a thyroid surgery performed in March 2023.

According to S Sumayya, the surgical team, led by Dr. Rajeev Kumar, failed to remove a guide wire used to establish a central line during the procedure after they were unable to locate her veins.

Sumayya further claimed that Dr. Rajeev Kumar accepted a bribe before the surgery. “I paid a total of Rs 4,000 to the doctor at his private clinic in Nedumangad — Rs 2,000 initially, followed by Rs 500 as a consultation fee, and another Rs 200 even after complications arose,” she said.

She alleged that after it became evident that the guide wire had remained lodged in her chest, the doctor failed to take responsibility. According to Sumayya, he had initially assured her that it could be removed via a keyhole procedure.

On Friday, she filed complaints with the Cantonment police station and the District Medical Officer Sumayya and her family also staged a protest in front of the office of Dr KJ Reena, Director of Health Services, accusing her of shielding the accused doctors.

A year after the surgery, Sumayya began experiencing physical difficulties. Doctors at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology discovered the guide wire still embedded in her chest. However, they advised against removing it due to the potential risks. The family alleged that Dr Rajeev Kumar had acknowledged the mistake but claimed that the wire had been inserted by the anaesthesia team. They also said the doctor paid for diagnostic tests at Sree Chitra by transferring money via Google Pay.

On Thursday, the health department stated that an investigation had been conducted in April, despite no official complaint being lodged at the time. An expert committee was constituted to review the case. The department added that no additional health complications were found to have resulted from the retained guide wire.

However, Sumayya alleged that she developed breathing difficulties and was forced to quit her job as a lab assistant due to deteriorating health. She comes from a financially underprivileged background; her husband is an autorickshaw driver.