Medical malpractice: Hospital to pay Rs 1 lakh compensation

A consumer forum has pulled up a private hospital and directed it to pay Rs one lakh in compensation to the kin of a youth for delaying diagnostic tests that lead to worsening of his medical condition.
The East District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that though Shanti Mukund Hospital claims to be well equipped, it has no infrastructure to deal with emergency cases of neurosurgery or neurology.
The forum held the hospital responsible for medical malpractice in delayed diagnosis of the neurological condition of a computer science student.
It noted that three valuable hours were lost before the patient was first examined and that he was taken to the diagnostic centre almost 20 hours after hospitalisation.

"In the present case, the delay in providing the proper facility of diagnostic test is apparent. Shanti Mukund Hospital, which claims to be one of the well equipped hospitals of East Delhi, has no infrastructure to deal with the cases of emergency of neurosurgery or neurology.
"They (hospital) have no business to admit such patient and play with his life. Had they referred him in time to some other hospital, may be his condition may not have further deteriorated and he would have recovered early...," a bench presided by N A Zaidi said.
"We hold the Chairman, the Director and the Medical Superintendent of the hospital responsible for medical malpractice," the bench said, and directed them to pay Rs one lakh to the patient.

The bench also observed that the hospital and the doctors attending to the patient were "driven by greed of corporate culture" and "played with the welfare of the patient by not providing urgent medical facilities which they are under obligation to provide".