Consumer Court slaps Rs 20 Lakh compensation on Private doctor over Death of Govt doctor's father
Compensation
Thiruvarur: Holding a private medical practitioner liable for deficiency in service, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Thiruvarur, has directed him to pay Rs 20 lakh compensation to a government doctor for the death of his father following delayed treatment for jaundice.
The Forum found the doctor guilty of "deficiency in service" after reviewing expert medical opinions and the sequence of events leading up to the patient’s death in August 2022.
The history of the case goes back to 2022. As per an official release, the government doctor's father was 67 years old and he underwent spinal cord surgery as part of the treatment for tuberculosis in July 2022.
However, a few weeks after the surgery, the patient's health deteriorated and his son sent his blood samples to a private laboratory in Thiruvarur on August 8, 2022.
Since the results indicated that the patient had jaundice, he was admitted to a private hospital on the banks of Kamalalayam Tank in Thiruvarur on August 9, 2022, at around 9.30 a.m.
As per the latest media report by The Hindu, after being admitted to the hospital, the patient's blood was again collected and sent for analysis to the same laboratory by 3.30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the patient's condition worsened further, and the private medical practitioner discharged the patient on August 9 night. He had recommended the patient for advanced treatment at another private hospital in Tiruchi.
The patient was rushed to Tiruchi and was admitted to the hospital. However, he died on August 14. Aggrieved by the 'delay' in providing treatment at the Tiruvarur private hospital, the government doctor filed a complaint at the District Consumer Court, Thiruvarur in January this year and sought a compensation for the mental agony and stress caused by the 'deficiency in service' on the part of the private medical practitioner in Thiruvarur.
The consumer court obtained observations from a team of hepatologists at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai. Accordingly, the Forum, headed by president Mohandoss and member Balu concluded that there was a deficiency in service on the part of the private medical practitioner.
Therefore, the Forum directed the doctor to pay Rs 20 lakh to the government doctor along with Rs 10,000 costs.
