A Thai woman fell victim to medical carelessness when she had a baby 18 years back. As per a SCMP report, the staff accidentally dropped a suture needle inside her vagina but did not remove it, causing her to live with immense pain all these years.
Shockingly despite knowing about the problem, the needle still can’t be removed from her body.
The case was revealed by the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, a non-profit organisation in Thailand, on its website. The organisation assists victims of abuse, including rape, harassment, and human trafficking.
A 36-year-old woman living in the Thai province of Narathiwat wrote a letter to the group informing them about her case. They told her that a medical error happened 18 years back while she was in labour at a hospital. She asked them for their help to deal with the matter.
The woman wrote that during the delivery, the staff at the hospital acted negligently after dropping a needle into her vagina while suturing. They did not retrieve it and worried about excessive bleeding, they closed the wound.
The woman says that since then she has been experiencing intermittent and unbearable lower abdominal pain.
Needle showed up on X-ray last year
She only came to know about the needle last year after undergoing an X-ray examination at a government hospital. It showed the needle lodged in her vagina.
The hospital referred her to a hospital in Songkhla province for surgery. But the procedure hasn’t been performed yet as the needle is shifting within her body, forcing the surgery to be postponed thrice.
Her suffering continues as she is required to visit the hospital four times a month for regular monitoring.
Medical insurance is helping her wade through the financial aspect of the problem, although only slightly. Travel costs are putting a strain on the family’s finances, so she reached out to the non-profit for help.
A village head now accompanies the woman for comprehensive treatment. The organisation also contacted the local social security office to arrange transport for her hospital visits.
Meanwhile, the hospital is facing severe backlash but has not publicly spoken on the matter.