By The Hindu Bureau
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Tiruvarur, has ordered a private medical practitioner to pay a compensation of ₹20 lakh with costs to a government doctor for the death of the latter’s father because of “deficiency in service” on the part of the former.
According to an official release, the government doctor’s father, Somaraj, 67, of Tiruvarur, underwent a surgery of the spinal cord as part of treatment to tuberculosis in July 2022.
A few weeks after the surgery, Somaraj’s health deteriorated and his son sent his blood sample to a private laboratory in Tiruvarur on August 8, 2022.
As the results indicated that Somaraj was suffering from jaundice, he was admitted to a private hospital on the banks of Kamalalayam Tank in Tiruvarur town around 9.30 a.m. on August 9, 2022.
However, on admission, blood from Somaraj was collected again and sent for analysis to the same laboratory. The results received from the laboratory by 3.30 p.m. on the same day indicated the same result.
Meanwhile, as Somaraj’s condition deteriorated further, the private medical practitioner discharged the patient on August 9 night with a recommendation for advanced treatment at another private hospital in Tiruchi.
Somaraj was rushed to Tiruchi and admitted at the hospital referred by the Tiruvarur private medical practitioner. But 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 DCDR Forum, Tiruvarur, in January this year seeking compensation for the mental agony and stress caused by the ‘deficiency in service’ on the part of the Tiruvarur private medical practitioner.
After obtaining the observations of a team of hepatologists at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai, the Forum headed by president Mohandoss and member Balu concluded that there was deficiency in service on the part of the private medical practitioner and directed him to pay a compensation of ₹20 lakh along with costs of ₹10,000 to the government doctor, the release added.