Malda: 2 families to get over Rs 10L compensation for ‘med negligence’
Malda: In two recent separate cases of medical negligence, the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (DCDRC), Malda has ordered significant financial compensation for victims who suffered due to medical errors worth more than Rs 10 lakh combined.
A one-year-old girl from Gazole’s Karalabita village was treated for a hip joint injury in 2018. After a fall, the child was prescribed medication by a local doctor, and later hospitalised when an X-ray revealed an infection. The girl was admitted to a nursing home in Malda, where a surgery was recommended. However, instead of performing the necessary hip joint surgery, the surgeon made an incision in the child’s abdomen and inserted gauze, worsening her condition. After a month of deteriorating health, the family sought treatment in Vellore, where doctors diagnosed the earlier procedure as medical negligence.
The family filed a complaint and the court ruled that the accused doctors, Sudipta Roy and Debjyoti Bose and the nursing home must pay Rs 6 lakh for medical negligence and an additional Rs 15,000 for mental harassment.
In a second case, a woman from Malda underwent surgery for a bulky uterus with multiple myoma at Dishari Health Point in 2015 under the care of SN Sharma. Following the operation, she suffered continuous complications, including a GU fistula. Despite repeated visits to Sharma, her condition worsened, leading her to seek further treatment at a Nursing Home in Burdwan. The treatment revealed that the surgical error at previous treatment had caused the fistula. The commission found Sharma and the nursing home negligent and ordered them to pay Rs 3 lakh for medical negligence and Rs 1.8 lakh for harassment and mental agony. The compensation must be paid within 45 days. Both cases highlight the ongoing issue of medical negligence, with some patients receiving justice, while many others continue to suffer in silence. The accused doctors and healthcare facilities in both cases have declined to comment. These rulings emphasise the importance of accountability in healthcare and the protection of consumer rights under the law.
Meanwhile, based on several irregularities, the district administration recently sealed one nursing home, Sunrise Nursing Home, one diagnostic centre, Star Lab and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh to another nursing home and Rs 30,000 to a diagnostic centre in Chanchal. Further, two diagnostic centres in Old Malda have been slapped with penalties of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000.
