Suing the doctor for malpractice? Proving medical negligence is difficult

A case gone bad doesn't always imply medical negligence, and if the doctor acts as per standard procedure and yet fails, he can't be hauled up; he also enjoys strong support from his fraternity

On June 10, a patient passed away in Kolkata's NRS Medical College and Hospital. The family of the deceased clashed with the junior doctors on duty, alleging that the ailing man died due to medical negligence.

Violence against doctors is legally and morally not right as they don't deliberately harm their patients. But there have been cases galore in which patients have suffered and even died due to doctor's negligence. In most cases, it is not possible to prove that the doctor was at fault. "Unless it's outright negligence, which is an open-and-shut case, holding doctors responsible for negligence is