By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) assured the Assembly that the government would take stringent action against the doctor and medical staff who “callously failed” to withdraw the “central venous catheter”, a device inserted into a major artery near the heart for administering medication, from a patient who underwent thyroid surgery at the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in 2023.

Replying to a submission tabled by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, Ms. George stated that a top-level panel of government doctors, including those from the Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, was exploring whether the “guide wire” could be extricated from the patient without causing further medical complications.

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Ms. George promised that the government would underwrite the patient’s medical expenses and ensure that she received state-of-the-art specialised care.

Ms. George said the government had constituted an inquiry panel to probe the case of alleged medical negligence.

The woman had undergone the procedure to remove a part of her enlarged thyroid gland.

Later, the patient received a diagnosis of thyroid cancer after pathologists examined a sample of the tissue removed during surgery. She said the Regional Cancer Centre was currently treating the patient for her condition.

Ms. George said the patient had testified in front of the inquiry panel and submitted documents attesting to her two-year ordeal. The panel also examined the suspect doctor and recorded the statement of other paramedical staff, including nurses, who assisted the operation. Simultaneously, the Cantonment police in Thiruvananthapuram were investigating the alleged medical negligence case.

Ms. George said the government would not brook instances of medical negligence and was awaiting the inquiry report.

Mr. Satheesan stated that the General Hospital doctor and staff had “washed their hands off” the patient despite her repeated complaints of prolonged post-operative physical distress. He said the guide wire, over the past two years, had almost fused with the central artery.

Patient privacy breach cited

He also blamed the Legislative Assembly Secretariat for infringing on the patient’s privacy by revealing her identity, address and medical history in a written answer to a question tabled in the House.

Speaker A.N. Shamseer said he would direct the Legislative Secretariat to examine the matter and delete the details to protect the patient’s identity.