Jowai MCH Death Case: Rights panel recommends Rs 10 lakh compensation to children
Shillong: In an alleged case of medical negligence that led to the death of a woman at Jowai Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Hospital, the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) on Monday has asked the state government to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to her children.
The Commission held that negligence on the part of healthcare providers led to the woman's death at Jowai MCH Hospital last year.
“The Commission has passed its final order on March 23, 2026, recommending payment of Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the children of the deceased so that they may have a better life after losing their mother,” the MHRC said in a statement, news agency PTI reported.
The order has been sent to the Additional Chief Secretary of the state Health and Family Welfare Department for necessary action, he said.
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The MHRC had taken up a suo motu case after media reports on June 6 last year highlighted the incident.
Family members of the deceased, residents of Jalaphet village in East Jaintia Hills district, had alleged negligence by hospital staff, claiming that timely and adequate care was not provided.
A Health and Family Welfare Enquiry Committee later found “several lapses related to the death of the patient,” the statement said.
Based on its findings, the Commission concluded that the lapses amounted to negligence and recommended compensation to the victim’s children.
The MHRC also stressed the need for accountability and improvement in healthcare services to prevent recurrence of such incidents, it added.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that holding a private hospital in Mohali and its doctors guilty of medical negligence in the death of a 19-year-old girl due to Dengue Shock Syndrome, sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction, the State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission directed them to pay compensation of Rs 45 lakh to the mother of the deceased.
