A 16-year-old Class 12 science student from Vadodara died during treatment after surgical cotton was allegedly left inside her stomach during an operation at a private hospital. The girl’s family has accused the doctor of medical negligence and demanded criminal action.
The student, Sanjana Vaghela, lived in Maheshwarinagar Society on Makarpura GIDC Road. She was admitted to Harshal Hospital on Waghodia Road after complaining of stomach pain a few days before Diwali. Doctors diagnosed her with a stomach tumour and performed surgery.
Although she was discharged after the operation, her health worsened within days and she began suffering severe abdominal pain. On New Year’s Day, her family took her to another hospital in Makarpura, where a CT scan revealed that surgical cotton had allegedly been left inside her stomach during the earlier surgery.
She underwent another operation, but her condition deteriorated and she died while undergoing treatment on Tuesday.
Family members claimed that when they tried to contact the surgeon, Dr Vijaysinh Rajput, they were told he was out of town and advised to go ahead with surgery at the current hospital. They also alleged that he later stopped responding to their calls.
After Sanjana’s death, the family filed a police complaint accusing the doctor of negligence. Police said an investigation has been launched. Attempts to contact the doctor and Harshal Hospital for comment were unsuccessful.