Doctor gave treatment instructions over phone, patient attended after 5-hour delay: Medical Council told to take disciplinary action

New Delhi: The intervention by the National Human Rights Commission in a case of death of a pregnant woman due to "medical negligence" has resulted in the government of West Bengal paying Rs 3.75 lakh as monetary relief to her next of kin, officials said on Thursday.

The state's medical council has been asked to take disciplinary action against the "negligent doctor" for the incident that took place at the Lalbagh Sub-Divisional Hospital, Murshidabad on February 8, 2020, it said in a statement.

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The Commission also observed that the state is "vicariously responsible" for this negligence of the doctor and had recommended the monetary relief. The Commission had registered a case on the basis of a complaint.

In response to the notices of the Commission, the department of health and family welfare of the state government had informed that an inquiry committee has found that as per the death certificate, the patient had died "due to heart failure", it said.

It was also found during the inquiry that "the doctor who was on duty was not present in the hospital and instead gave instructions over phone to the nurses. He attended the patient after delay of five hours," the rights panel said. The state government has also informed that a departmental inquiry has been initiated against the doctor.

A copy of the inquiry committee report has also been sent to the West Bengal Medical Council for disciplinary action against him, the statement said.

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