Guidewire in patient’s chest: Doc booked for med negligence

Guidewire in patient’s chest: Doc booked for med negligence

Aug 31, 2025, 0:12 AM

Thiruvananthapuram: Cantonment police on Saturday registered a case against Dr Rajeev Kumar attached to the General Hospital on charges of medical negligence over the incident in which a guidewire was left in the chest of a woman following surgery. The case was registered on the complaint given by Sumaya, 26, of Rasiya Manzil at Tholikkottukonam near Kulathummal. The doctor was booked under sections of IPC 336 for an act that endangers human life or personal safety of others and 338 for a negligent act that endangers human life or causes grievous hurt to any person.

However, Cantonment police said that the probe team has only a limited role in cases of medical negligence and the expert opinion of a medical board is a must to proceed further. "A request will be given to the district medical officer to form a panel of experts to study the case and to submit a report. We may ask for clarifications and a final medical report will be submitted before the court. Meanwhile, the probe team will collect maximum evidence such as the details of the treatment, fee paid, CCTV visuals, call and chat details, etc.," police said. In the FIR, the doctor is accused of medical negligence in the surgery which was done on March 22, 2023. 

Sumaya went to the doctor in Feb 2023 with throat pain and the doctor recommended surgery. The FIR blames the imprudence and negligence of the doctor for the post-surgery complications as the woman was unable to talk and faced breathing difficulty. In the X-ray, a guidewire was spotted inside her chest. A year after the surgery, Sumaya began experiencing physical difficulties and it was during the examination at other hospitals that the guidewire was spotted. The health department formed an expert committee to probe the incident. 

Initially, Dr Rajeev was not ready to accept the error and pointed out that those who inserted the medication tube were responsible. However, he later admitted to the error in a telephonic conversation with a relative of Sumaya. He had also provided her financial assistance for specialized treatment. The voice clip of the doctor and details of the money given by him to the patient for specialized treatment were released by the patient's relatives.