Charnock Hosp fined for negligence

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Monday imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on Charnock Hospital for negligence.

Earlier on May 3, the WBCERC had imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh but the hospital authorities had filed a review petition to the commission reconsidering the order on some specific grounds.

After considering the hospital’s review petition, the WBCERC went through the case and reduced the amount of fine.

WBCERC Chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee said that an 83-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital on February 14 with respiratory distress and he had several comorbid factors.

The patient was

On May 3, the WBCERC had imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh but the hospital authorities had filed a review petition to the commission reconsidering the order on some specific grounds

under treatment of a medicine doctor whom the patient had consulted in the same hospital on earlier occasion as well.

The patient was under the treatment protocol as advised by the medicine doctor. The family members urged the hospital to consult a pulmonologist who was not available. The family members alleged that the hospital had not consulted any pulmonologist.

The family members also said that another pulmonologist came on rounds in the same ward but did not see their patient.

The hospital authorities said that the pulmonologist whom the family had recommended was not available for a few days. The WBCERC said that the hospital authorities should have arranged the pulmonologist for the patient who eventually died on February 17.