Police have registered a case after a needle was found lodged inside the body of a one-year-old girl who had received treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Kottayam Medical College Hospital last year.
The case was registered by Gandhinagar Police following a complaint from the child’s mother, who alleged medical negligence during her daughter’s treatment. No individual has been named as an accused so far.
Needle discovered nearly a year later
According to the complaint, the child was born at Kottayam Medical College Hospital in June 2025 and was admitted to the NICU after developing health complications.
The family said they noticed a swelling near the child’s ribs during her hospital stay and informed medical staff. They alleged that the concern was not properly investigated.
The child reportedly continued to experience pain and discomfort over the following months. In July 2026, doctors at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital conducted further examinations after her condition worsened and detected a needle lodged near her ribs.
The needle, reportedly around one inch long, was surgically removed.
Hospital panel disputes negligence claim
Following the complaint, Kottayam Medical College constituted a three-member inquiry committee. The panel examined treatment records, scan reports and statements from doctors and nurses.
The committee concluded that there was no evidence that the needle had entered the child’s body at Kottayam Medical College and found no medical negligence in the treatment provided there.
Meanwhile, the police investigation remains underway. The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Women and Child Development Department are also conducting separate inquiries into the matter.
The case has therefore raised questions that will now be examined through multiple investigations, with the police yet to establish how the needle came to be lodged inside the child’s body.