Woman discovers gauze left inside her after childbirth, hospital faces backlash

A woman in Ratchaburi province experienced severe pain after giving birth, only to discover a piece of gauze had been left inside her. Public outcry followed as the hospital failed to take responsibility for its mistake, causing widespread discussion on social media.

The woman, 24 year old Wan, and her mother, 58 year old Leuk, from Photharam district, shared the story with the media. Wan revealed that she gave birth at a local hospital on May 29, when she began to experience pain and discomfort that lasted for several weeks. On June 19, she noticed something coming out of her birth canal while urinating. Upon looking closer, she found a piece of gauze still lodged inside. When removed, the gauze was soaked with blood and pus, and had a foul odour, KhaoSod reported.

After an internal examination, the doctor informed her that the pain was due to uterine inflammation, but there was no infection. Wan had to pay 30 baht for medication, but she did not have cash with her and wanted to pay via bank transfer. The hospital staff told her the minimum payment for transfers was 500 baht. As a result, Wan had to return home without medication. She is now concerned about potential infections that could harm her and her baby in the future and shared their experience on Facebook as a warning to others.

Leuk, Wan’s mother, expressed anger and frustration at the hospital’s negligence. Although the hospital staff eventually visited their home with gifts and baby care products to apologise, Leuk feels that more should be done to compensate for their loss of income caused by the hospital’s carelessness.

The family is now seeking compensation to address the physical and emotional distress caused by the incident.