People often liken doctors to gods. But the fact remains that for all their healing prowess, they are hardly infallible.

A negligent doctor at a hospital in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, almost cost a woman her life when he left a pair of scissors in her abdomen during an operation for uterus prolapse, that is, the dislocation of the uterus.

All the worse is the fact that the scissors remained undetected for 12 years, despite the victim Regina Mary's repeated complaints to the hospital about a persistent stomach ache. Miraculously, Mary managed to live through the ordeal but is currently fighting for her life at a Madurai hospital.

The 56-year-old mother of six went to Van Allen Hospital in 2001 following severe abdominal pain. She was advised surgery for uterus dislocation but far from relieving her of the pain, it unleashed a 12-year battle with anguish for Mary.

"Soon after the operation, my mother began to suffer from a constant stomach pain. Since the surgery was conducted at Van Allen, we kept going to them for treatment. But instead of taking her complaints seriously, they would simply prescribe some medicines dismissing her pain as a minor ailment," Mary's son M. Ashok said.

The pair of scissors in Mary's abdomen was detected last month during a CAT scan. The pair of scissors in Mary's abdomen was detected last month during a CAT scan.

The proof of the doctor's callousness, the scissors, was detected only last month after her stomach developed swelling.

"A few days back, May 29 to be precise, my mother's stomach got swollen and she began having trouble breathing. It is then that we decided to approach a different hospital," he added.

Sadly, even as a CT scan at the hospital revealed the scissors in her abdomen, Mary's family couldn't get her treatment started immediately for want of money. They say the suspicion that the doctor may have botched up the surgery had always lurked at the back of their minds.

"We approached the authorities at Van Allen to hold them to task. The secretary there asked us not to contact the media and assured us the hospital would do everything possible to help us. But the very next day, he said all they could do was foot the bill for her surgery - and that too, after it was performed," Ashok said.

Following this, Mary was admitted to a private hospital in Madurai. On May 31, a report was filed with the Kodaikanal police against Van Allen Hospital and the team of doctors responsible but there's been no action since.

Van Allen chief medical officer Dr Mary Karkada said the hospital would help Mary even though they were doubtful about the veracity of her family's claim.

"We cannot accept any attempt to fleece us. The patient could have gone to some other hospital as well. These things have to be verified. But we are prepared to pay for the surgery," she said.

But she stopped short of denying that the scissors had landed in Mary's abdomen during her surgery at Van Allen.

Complicating the issue is the fact that the doctor who performed the operation on Mary, one Dim of Chinese origin, has since left the hospital.

But, nevertheless, Mary's family says they are determined to fight until they get justice.