Cotton gauze left inside urinary bladder during C-section! Hospital slapped Rs 10.48 lakh compensation
Compensation
Chandigarh: Holding negligence by the doctor at a civil hospital, an authority under the state government has been ordered to pay Rs 10.48 lakh compensation to a patient for medical negligence during C-section surgery. Filing the plea, the woman alleged that during the surgery, the treating doctor at the hospital left a cotton gauze inside her urinary bladder. While considering the plea filed by the woman, a local court directed the MD, Punjab Health Systems Corporation to pay the compensation along with interest at the rate of 9% per annum.
As per the latest media report by The Tribune, the patient was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Phase-VI, Mohali on January 31, 2015, for delivery. The doctor advised her to undergo a caesarian operation, which was performed on the same date and thereafter, she was discharged from the hospital on February 10, 2015.
However, after discharge, within three to four days, she started experiencing severe pain in the lower parts of her body. Immediately, she was rushed to the Civil Hospital, where she was prescribed some medicines and medical tests. It was alleged that there was no improvement in her health.
Since she did not get any relief from the pain, she approached some private hospitals and in one of the hospitals, she was diagnosed with a stone. When a doctor of the private hospital started operating on the patient to remove the stone on June 26, 2015, he found that there was a gauze (cotton roll/sponge) in the urine bladder of the patient. Consequently, the patient had to undergo surgery to remove the same.
Accusing the civil hospital of gross negligence, she filed a plea in the local court and claimed that due to the negligence, she had to suffer both mentally and financially.
On the other hand, the hospital's counsel denied these allegations. It was submitted by the hospital that at the time of the discharge of the patient, the child was in good health.
Meanwhile, the private doctor informed the Court that the sponge must have remained in the urinary bladder during the caesarian surgery. He further deposed that the patient's condition became alright after the sponge was removed from the urinary bladder, added the daily.
Tribune has reported that after considering the arguments by both parties, Rahul Garg, Civil Judge (senior division), Chandigarh, said that it had been proved that the cotton sponge had been left behind in the urine bladder of the patient by the concerned hospital.
"...it is duly proved on record that due to gross negligence of a doctor, while doing a caesarian operation, an FB gauze (cotton roll/sponge) had been left in the urinary bladder of the plaintiff, and as such, she had to suffer immense pain, mental torture, agony, harassment and sufferings. In view of this, the plaintiff (woman) is held entitled to the recovery of Rs 10.48 lakh at 9% per annum from the date of filing of the suit," ordered the Court.
