Surgical bandages left inside a woman for nearly a year after an operation at the District Headquarters Hospital in Bagh have triggered a high-level inquiry in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The alleged medical negligence came to light when around 200 grams of surgical bandages were later removed from the woman’s body. She had lived with the bandages inside her for nearly a year after the original operation at the DHQ hospital.
Bandages left inside woman discovered after a year
According to reports, the woman underwent surgery at the District Headquarters Hospital in Bagh. The surgical bandages were left inside her abdomen during the procedure and remained undetected for about twelve months.
It was only later that doctors discovered the foreign material and removed roughly 200 grams of bandages from her body. The reports did not say how the discovery was finally made, but such cases usually surface when a patient returns with persistent pain or complications.
The incident has raised serious questions about operating theatre procedures at the hospital, including whether proper counts of surgical materials were carried out before the wound was closed.
AJK prime minister orders transparent inquiry
Taking notice of the incident, AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Ali Gillani directed the Director General of Health to conduct a transparent investigation into the matter.
The prime minister also ordered the authorities to identify those responsible for the negligence and to submit a detailed inquiry report immediately. The inquiry is expected to examine the hospital’s records, the surgical team on duty, and the procedures followed during the operation.
Why retained surgical items matter
Patient-safety experts treat objects left inside a patient after surgery as among the most serious preventable medical errors. Such incidents are sometimes called “never events” because standard precautions should stop them from happening at all.
Hospitals around the world use counting protocols, in which nurses tally every sponge, bandage and instrument before and after a procedure. The World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist also requires the team to confirm that counts are correct before the patient leaves the operating theatre.
When these checks fail, the consequences fall on the patient. Retained material can cause infection, chronic pain and the need for a second operation, which is what happened in Bagh.
A test of accountability in AJK’s public hospitals
The case will test how AJK’s health department handles negligence in its public hospitals. A transparent inquiry that names those responsible and fixes the broken procedures would reassure patients who depend on government hospitals.
The health sector has faced repeated questions over working conditions and accountability. Doctors in Karachi protested over unpaid salaries at JPMC earlier this month, while the federal health ministry saw its ninth secretary in 19 months take charge on Monday. In AJK itself, a woman died after being caught in a river surge in Jhelum earlier this month, drawing attention to emergency care in the region.
For the woman at the centre of this case, the inquiry cannot undo a year of suffering. But a clear finding of responsibility, followed by action, would show that negligence in public hospitals carries consequences.
Where did the bandages incident happen?
At the District Headquarters Hospital in Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
How long were the bandages inside the woman?
About a year, after which around 200 grams of surgical bandages were removed from her abdomen.
Who ordered the inquiry?
AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Ali Gillani, who directed the Director General of Health to investigate transparently and report immediately.
What happens in such an inquiry?
Investigators examine hospital records, identify the surgical team and check whether counting and safety procedures were followed during the operation.
