The incident took place in July in Sadar hospital where one Sulekha Devi was admitted after she developed labour pains. She delivered a healthy baby via C-section but the doctors left a piece of surgical sponge in her abdomen.

"After her delivery on July 14, my wife kept complaining of a stomach ache. Despite several medications, she failed to get any relief. Recently, a doctor of a private hospital asked for an ultrasound and CT scan wherein the sponge was detected," said Dharmendra Kumar, a resident of Chimnipur locality in Hajipur city.

"We immediately lodged a complaint in this regard with the civil surgeon of Vaishali who assured us of a befitting action," Kumar said.

"It is a case of gross negligence. We will do a minor surgery to remove the foreign body," said Dr Shyamnandan Prasad, civil surgeon of Vaishali district. IANS/KB