Surgical needle left inside woman for 22 years sparks N$1.5m lawsuit
Rita KakeloWINDHOEK
For 22 years, a Windhoek woman lived with unexplained pain, recurring infections and the persistent sense that something inside her body was not right.Only in 2024 did doctors finally uncover the cause: a surgical needle allegedly left inside her during childbirth in 2002 at Otjiwarongo State Hospital.
Now 53, the woman, whose identity is withheld to protect her privacy, has filed a N$1.5 million medical-negligence claim through her lawyer, Elize Yssel, against the health ministry, arguing that she endured avoidable suffering for more than two decades.
The lawsuit comes one year after a gynaecologist at Katutura State Hospital finally detected the needle during further examinations and removed it, court documents state.
Labour injury
Her case dates back to a 2002 caesarean section and perineal-tear repair carried out at Otjiwarongo State Hospital after the woman was transferred there from Okakarara Clinic while in labour.
Court papers state that “on or about 1 June 2002, the plaintiff, while experiencing labour pains, was admitted to Okakarara State Clinic. After examination, she was transferred to the delivery room. A senior nurse observed that she was not sufficiently dilated and instructed her to walk in an attempt to expedite labour.”
She was later taken by ambulance to Otjiwarongo State Hospital because the rural clinic had only one available doctor, who was attending to accident victims at the time.
During the transfer, court documents state, she lost consciousness and only regained awareness upon arrival at the hospital. She was 29 years old at the time.
Two-decade mystery
The lawsuit claims that after her stay in hospital, she repeatedly experienced pain and sought help at several state facilities, including Robert Mugabe Clinic and the Khomasdal and Katutura health centres, yet the problem remained unexplained.
It was a Katutura State Hospital gynaecologist who finally detected and removed the needle in 2024 – 22 years after she had given birth.
The health ministry has in recent years faced several negligence claims.
In 2023, the ministry paid N$3.2 million across 12 medical-negligence cases, according to an auditor’s report. A year later, in August 2024, government disclosed that over the preceding five years it had paid more than N$12 million in legal claims arising from medical negligence – many linked to obstetric cases.
For 22 years, a Windhoek woman lived with unexplained pain, recurring infections and the persistent sense that something inside her body was not right.Only in 2024 did doctors finally uncover the cause: a surgical needle allegedly left inside her during childbirth in 2002 at Otjiwarongo State Hospital.
Now 53, the woman, whose identity is withheld to protect her privacy, has filed a N$1.5 million medical-negligence claim through her lawyer, Elize Yssel, against the health ministry, arguing that she endured avoidable suffering for more than two decades.
The lawsuit comes one year after a gynaecologist at Katutura State Hospital finally detected the needle during further examinations and removed it, court documents state.
Labour injury
Her case dates back to a 2002 caesarean section and perineal-tear repair carried out at Otjiwarongo State Hospital after the woman was transferred there from Okakarara Clinic while in labour.
Court papers state that “on or about 1 June 2002, the plaintiff, while experiencing labour pains, was admitted to Okakarara State Clinic. After examination, she was transferred to the delivery room. A senior nurse observed that she was not sufficiently dilated and instructed her to walk in an attempt to expedite labour.”
She was later taken by ambulance to Otjiwarongo State Hospital because the rural clinic had only one available doctor, who was attending to accident victims at the time.
During the transfer, court documents state, she lost consciousness and only regained awareness upon arrival at the hospital. She was 29 years old at the time.
Two-decade mystery
The lawsuit claims that after her stay in hospital, she repeatedly experienced pain and sought help at several state facilities, including Robert Mugabe Clinic and the Khomasdal and Katutura health centres, yet the problem remained unexplained.
It was a Katutura State Hospital gynaecologist who finally detected and removed the needle in 2024 – 22 years after she had given birth.
The health ministry has in recent years faced several negligence claims.
In 2023, the ministry paid N$3.2 million across 12 medical-negligence cases, according to an auditor’s report. A year later, in August 2024, government disclosed that over the preceding five years it had paid more than N$12 million in legal claims arising from medical negligence – many linked to obstetric cases.
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