Kolkata hospital told to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation after patient waiting for surgery dies

The direction came after the health panel found negligence on part of the hospital as the patient kept waiting empty stomach for the surgery to be conducted and subsequently passed away.

The patient was admitted to the hospital due to gall bladder issues on August 27. Initially, the patient was taken on August 25, but could not be admitted due to the non-availability of a bed, and was eventually admitted on August 27.

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According to a media report in the Millenium Post, the patient had multiple issues including diabetes and gastro issues. However, the surgeon allegedly decided to perform the operation on her without consulting the gastroenterologist. The operation was scheduled to be performed on August 30, and the elderly woman was kept on an empty stomach since August 29.

Throughout the day, on August 30, the patient was kept empty stomach. She subsequently collapsed while being taken to the operation theatre in the evening. The patient had passed away.

The retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the chairperson of the commission noted,

"We have found many deficiencies on the part of the hospital. We have asked Medica to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family of the woman."

He said, "The woman was admitted to the hospital on August 27. She was kept on fast from August 29 night since her surgery was scheduled for the next day. Though she was made ready for the surgery on August 30 morning, she was ultimately taken to the operating theatre in the evening. She collapsed in the OT and died," adding, "We have found the hospital negligent on many counts."

The family members of the woman was also not provided with any prior counseling before the surgery, reports the Telegraph India.

A senior official of another private hospital in the city stated that the hospital in question should have "administered intravenous fluids to the woman when the surgery got delayed". It remains unclear if the hospital administered any fluids to the woman.

In response to the matter, Komal Dashora, president of Medica Superspeciality Hospital said that they haven't received a detailed order yet. He said, "The commission has only said we will have to pay Rs 5 lakh but they have not yet published any detailed order citing reasons for the compensation. We can comment only after we go through the detailed order."

Talking about the delay in surgeries, the CEO of another private hospital said that surgeries get delayed at times when doctors get stuck in previous surgeries due to sudden complications. However, he added, that surgeries often get delayed because of the improper planning by the hospital administration and the doctors.

In a separate case associated with the same hospital, the WBCERC ordered the hospital to pay a compensation amount of Rs 1 lakh as compensation for refusing to admit a Covid-19 patient during the initial days of the pandemic.

The judge noted that the hospital would pay Rs 80,000 to the family of the man who was refused admission and Rs 20,000 to the commission as well, citing that it "will be used for benevolent purposes."

The man in question was eventually taken to four other hospitals where he was refused admission. He eventually passed away at a private hospital. The judge also noted that when the wife of the man was taken to Medica Hospital for admission, the latter refused to admit her as well, reports the Telegraph India.

Banerjee said, "The couple had been undergoing treatment for other ailments in Medica. So when they contracted Covid the family took them to Medica first but the hospital refused them admission."

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