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HYDERABAD, March 7: Shahzadi Shahida Sultana, who was admitted to the civil hospital after removal of forceps from her abdomen on February 20, died in the hospital’s intensive care unit on Tuesday.
Sultana, wife of Mohammad Yamin, a resident of Phulelli, was admitted to the hospital on February 18 as she had been facing complications in her abdomen ever since she gave birth to a baby girl following a Caesarean operation in the same hospital on February 13.
Police on Tuesday lodged a criminal case against five doctors of the Hyderabad civil hospital and in-charge of the gynaecology unit-III following the death of the 35-year-old woman after the operation for removal of forceps left in her abdomen after the earlier surgery.
The case was lodged under section 319 of the Qisas and Diyat Ordinance against Prof (Dr) Pushpa Sirichand, Dr Sunita, Dr Nasreen Shah, Dr Chundra, Dr Sadaf and Dr Aftab Begum on the complaint of Shadab Gul, the deceased woman’s brother.
He stated that his sister, Shahzadi Shahida Sultana, wife of Mohammad Yamin, was taken to the operation theatre of gynaecology ward-III by lady doctors with the permission of Prof Pushpa on February 13 last year.
“My sister gave birth to a baby girl but due to negligence of the doctors a forceps was left in her abdomen”, he said.
Mr Gul said that the family came to know about it on February 18, 2006, as she used, to feel pain in her abdomen.
He said that he brought her to the surgical unit-III of the hospital and as per doctors’ advice, got an X-ray done on that day which revealed the presence of the forceps in her abdomen.
He said that doctors told him that a surgical instrument had been left in her abdomen when she had undergone a Caesarean section.
He said that on February 20 his sister underwent two major surgeries for removal of the surgical instrument.
After the operation she was admitted to the civil hospital but her condition did not improve and she died on Thursday.
He alleged that the cause of her death was negligence of the doctors who had left the 10-inch forceps in her abdomen.
BACKGROUND: Shadab Gul said she carried a forceps in her abdomen for almost a year and during this period she suffered from severe pain and vomiting.
She had been treated by general practitioners in her locality and at the civil hospital but when severity of pain increased she was brought to the civil hospital on February 15 and she was advised operation on account of intestinal complications.
Her brother told Dawn that the hospital staff did not let him see the X-ray although he had got it done separately as well and he possessed her prescription chart.
“The hospital staff on the basis of her ultrasound advised an operation for removal of bladder which carried multiple stones and this opinion proved wrong”, he said.
It was learnt that after woman was advised to undergo the operation, her brother took her away against medical advise.
Her condition became serious and she was brought back to a hospital on February 18 where she was operated upon on February 20 in Jamshoro by a team of doctors headed by Surgeon Dr Sattar Memon.
The surgical instrument was removed.
Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Qureshi formed an inquiry committee look into the case.
The committee comprises Prof (Dr) Amna Memon, Prof (surgeon) Sattar Memon, Prof (Dr) Jan Mohammad Sheikh and hospital’s additional MS Dr Saleem Raza Memon.
Sindh Health Minister Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani had visited hospital to inquire after her health on February 26 and promised to punish the doctors once inquiry report was submitted to him.
The inquiry proposed disciplinary action against Dr Sunita, Dr Sadaf, Dr Aftab Begum, Dr Nasreen Shah and Dr Chundra.
Dr Sunita was honorary trainee and Dr Sadaf and Dr Aftab are private post-graduate students.
It is learnt that Dr Nasreen Shah was present at the time of childbirth but she did not participate in the surgery.
Dr Chundra, who was at home, gave her opinion to the three doctors.
In-charge of unit-III Prof (Dr) Pushpa Srichand was not present in hospital.
Three of them are post-graduate students, who are not under administrative control of the health department, while Dr Nasreen Shah and Dr Chundra are hospital employees.
Even after removal of the surgical instrument her condition remained critical as she did not show any improvement because her intestines had suffered major damage.
A medical board conducted autopsy of the woman under the supervision of police surgeon Dr Hussain Shah Rashdi.
Forensic experts Mustafa Yousfani, Dr Shankar Lal, pathologist, medico-legal officer Dr Sabira sultana and Surgeon Dr Ghani Soomro conducted the autopsy.
