Media carried report on the 3rd January, 2010 that a pair of 7 inch long surgical forceps was removed from the stomach of a farmer named Dhruv Verma, aged 52 years, in Durg District Hospital, Chhattisgarh on the 1st January, 2010. These were left in his stomach during an earlier operation carried out at Gayatri Nursing Home in the District about two years ago. It was also alleged in the report that the patient had consulted Gayatri Nursing Home in December, 2009 following post surgery unbearable pain in his stomach. But despite conducting an x-ray of his belly, the nursing home did not inform him that the pain was due to forceps in his stomach left by its surgeons. The victim came to know the reality through an x-ray done elsewhere. But thereafter, no nursing home was willing to do the surgery to remove the forceps. It was eventually done in Durg District Hospital after the District Collector intervened in the matter.
Taking suo motu cognizance of the contents of the press report, the Commission observed that, if true, the incident raises serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim Dhruv Verma. A notice was issued to the Secretary, Medical Council of India, New Delhi on the 7th January, 2010 calling for a report in the matter.