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Suraj Shah, an anaesthetics registrar based at the RFH, discovered the ring in his newly-laundered green scrubs ahead of his ICU shift on 19 December.
He said: “As I put the scrubs on something clattered to the floor and a colleague spotted the ring and alerted me. At first I thought maybe one of the nurses here had lost the ring and I put the word out through the nurse in charge. I checked with the doctors as well but nothing so I contacted our facilities team.
“I knew how downhearted my wife would be if she’d lost a ring that had sentimental value to her so that was in the back of my mind. As healthcare workers we often take off rings for procedures so it’s an easy mistake to make.”
The RFH facilities team contacted the laundry they use and amazingly there was a match as someone had reported the ring missing … in Suffolk.
Radhika Ramasamy, a consultant anaesthetist at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in Bury St Edmunds, had put the ring in the pocket of her scrubs before giving a patient a spinal anaesthetic, five days prior to Suraj finding it.
She revealed: “I meant to put the ring back on afterwards but ended up doing another procedure and forgot about it. It wasn’t until the evening of the next day that I realised it was missing and then it was the weekend so I didn’t report it to my facilities team till the Monday. To be honest I never expected to get it back as I thought it would be crushed in the machinery at the laundry.”
She added: “I’m so happy to have it returned. It just shows how honest people are and I want to say a huge thank you to all the people involved – my end at the West Suffolk Hospital and at the Royal Free Hospital - in reuniting me with a ring that has real sentimental value to me as it was a birthday present from my husband a few years ago. I know it’s been an incredible team effort and I am so appreciative of how so many people have gone the extra mile to track me down and return it to me.”
Suraj said: “It’s nice to feel part of a bit of a little miracle. I’m delighted the ring has been reunited with Radhika.”
Radhika's ring is back on her finger
