Surgical sponge left inside woman’s abdomen for a year prompts investigation

The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Iftikhar Ali Gillani, has taken notice of a serious case of medical negligence at the District Headquarters Hospital in Bagh, according to ARY News. A surgical bandage was inadvertently left inside a patient’s abdomen during an operation, remaining there for twelve months. Doctors later removed roughly 200 grams of material from the woman’s body.

In response, Gillani ordered the Director General of Health to launch a transparent and thorough inquiry. He instructed officials to identify those responsible and to submit a detailed report to him without delay.

Separately, the federal government announced plans to revamp the administrative structure of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). Sources said the institute will adopt a Medical Teaching Institution model, which will require amendments to the current PIMS Act. Under the new system, a Board of Governors drawn from various professional fields will oversee PIMS, and its chairman is expected to be appointed from the private sector.

A committee led by Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has been formed to supervise the reforms. The panel includes the law minister, vice‑chancellors of medical universities and other health experts, and has been given fifteen days to present its recommendations for amending the PIMS Act. A special committee has already submitted its report and suggestions to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, prompting the current reforms. In line with the prime minister’s directives, a twenty‑member PIMS Reform Committee, comprising leading health professionals from both public and private sectors, has also been established.