IVY HOSPITAL, DOC FINED ₹50L FOR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

AMBALA: The Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has fined a Mohali-based private hospital and its doctor ₹50 lakh in an alleged case of medical negligence filed by a Yamunanagar resident. Petitioner Anuj Gupta moved the commission on May 31, 2017, three years after his mother Kamlesh Rani died at Ivy Hospital in Sector 71, Mohali.

His advocate Kavita Arora said the elderly woman was referred to the hospital from Yamunanagar on March 10.

“After the first operation on March 11, the hospital asked the family to pay ₹ 2 lakh and prepared the discharge formalities on March 18 even as the family insisted that the patient is not well. Later, the hospital agreed to readmit her the same day. The hospital doctors did some re-exploration for a week and raised the second bill for ₹20-25 lakh,” she said. The patient was operated upon again on March 24, but she died on May 6 due to alleged complications in surgery.

The hospital, in its defence, told commission that the complainant failed to provide any documentary evidence to prove that the death of the patient had any connection with the surgeries conducted or as a result of medical negligence on its part. Dr Vijay Bansal, under whose supervision the surgery was conducted, stated the case was handled diligently, but the patient developed complications due to age and other ailments,

However, the commission, in the judgment on June 30, 2020, directed the hospital and Dr Bansal to pay ₹50 lakh compensation along with 7% interestand ₹50,000 towards the litigation costs.” The hospital has not reacted to the judgment.