Medical negligence: NHRC tells Delhi govt to pay Rs 2 lakh to kin of deceased

New Delhi: The National Human Right Commission (NHRC) has found that doctors at three Delhi government hospitals were negligent and did not provide proper treatment to a 22-year-old young man, resulting in his death late in the night on June 12 last year.

In the wake of the disciplinary proceedings initiated against them by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), NHRC has recommended that the Delhi government pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.

The Commission has called for a compliance report along with the proof of payment within six weeks, failing which, coercive steps under Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 may be initiated against the concerned authorities of the Delhi government.

The Commission's directions have come after the Government failed to respond to its notice to show cause why the victim's family should not be recommended to be paid monetary relief when an expert panel of doctors set up by the government's own DGHS had found that doctors at Hedgewar Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Hospital handled the patient in a casual manner and referred him to other hospitals without confirming the availability of the facilities and services, due to which he eventually died.

The incident was reported on June 17 last year and the Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of the same and issued notices to the authorities at the Centre and the Delhi government calling for reports.

According to media reports, the victim Ankur, an autorickshaw driver, had complained of chest pain and difficulty in breathing on the afternoon of June 12 last year.

An ambulance was called by his family and he was taken to Hedgewar Hospital, where he was administered some glucose bottles and later referred to Guru Teg Bahadur and GTB hospitals.