Kansk hospital will pay compensation for a woman's forgotten napkin

The city court ordered the interdistrict hospital to pay compensation to a resident of Kansk, in whose body there was a gauze napkin forgotten by surgeons for three years. This was reported in the joint press service of the regional courts.

The story began in 2021, when a woman underwent surgery in the gynecological department of the Kansk Hospital. After the intervention, she began to experience constant abdominal pain, and in 2023 her temperature increased to 40 degrees.

Over the course of three years, she had to undergo many examinations – CT, MRI, ultrasound, consultations with different surgeons. Doctors made various diagnoses, including suspicion of cancer.

In April 2024, after calling an ambulance, the woman was sent to the Krasnoyarsk regional hospital. During an emergency operation, surgeons discovered the cause of many years of suffering – a gauze pad measuring 20 by 30 centimeters and an abscess that had formed.

Representatives of the Kansk hospital argued in court that all napkins were counted before and after the operation, and their number coincided. However, a forensic examination established a direct link between the abandoned napkin and the patient’s subsequent health problems.

Experts concluded that the woman suffered moderate harm to her health due to a “defect” in the provision of medical care. The medical institution will have to compensate the patient 650 thousand rubles for moral damage caused, as well as cover the costs of treatment and legal costs.