Health ministry contests N$1.55m claim over alleged retained surgical needle

The Ministry of Health and Social Services has denied liability in a N$1.55 million lawsuit brought by a 53-year-old Windhoek woman who alleges that a surgical needle was left inside her body during childbirth more than two decades ago. In a plea filed in the High Court in January, the ministry disputes the woman’s account and says there are no medical records confirming that she presented herself in labour at Okakarara State Hospital in 2002 or that she was transferred to Otjiwarongo State Hospital at the time. While acknowledging that a foreign object was later discovered in her body and removed, the ministry denies that it originated from any procedure performed by its staff and rejects allegations of negligence. The matter is scheduled for a mediation referral hearing on 11 March 2026.