SHAH ALAM: A woman who went for a Caesarean delivery at a government hospital had to endure severe pain for days when doctors left a pair of forceps in her abdomen.
Deeply traumatised by the incident, she initiated legal action for medical negligence in July and the case has now been settled without a trial.
Lawyer Aloysius Cornelius Susek, who represented Bushra Abd Razak, said parties had agreed to the settlement which had been put in writing.
“We will appear before Sessions Court Judge Azian Othman on Jan 6 to record the consent judgment. Terms and conditions of the settlement will remain confidential,” Aloysius told FMT.
Bushra had named the government, Ampang Hospital and Dr Puteri Helena Rosli and Dr Wan Shahrul Liza Saharan as defendants.
In her statement of claim, the 29-year-old said she was admitted to Ampang Hospital on Jan 8 this year for contractual pains and reduced fetal movement when having her second childbirth.
Bushra said that after eight hours, doctors decided that the delivery be done by way of a Caesarean section and it was conducted by Dr Helena and Dr Wan Shahrul on Jan 9.
Bushra was discharged from the hospital two days later. She said she began to feel severe pain in her belly two days after she was discharged.
It became more significant on her left abdomen, especially when moving or changing body positions which caused her to vomit frequently.
Despite feeling something was terribly wrong, she was informed by Dr Wan Shahrul on Jan 21 that what she was experiencing was normal after a Caesarean surgery.
As the severe pain persisted, she went for a second opinion at a private hospital where an X-ray showed that a pair of surgical artery forceps had been left behind in her abdomen.
Bushra said she had to undergo another emergency surgery at the government hospital to remove the forceps while she was still recovering from the first surgery.
Aloysius, who appeared with Tisya Yunus, said his client had filed for damages amounting to about RM105,000 for physical pain and mental trauma.
The defendants in their defence initially denied liability and asked they be absolved of being negligent.