24 Jan 2023 • The District Consumer Disputes orders a Mysore-based hospital and its gastroenterologists to compensate the daughter of the deceased patient Rs. 8 lakh in damages for their negligence in treating pancreatitis. The treating physician acknowledged that they had not placed a lleostomy bag to the intestine after performing surgery on the patient, who died as a result of a deteriorating health condition, and the District Consumer Court took note of this and issued the order. According to the Commission, "it appears that because the ileostomy bag was not inserted into the intestine, the urine and waste were blocked inside the stomach, which resulted in deteriorating the patient's health as a result of which he went into coma." The complainant claimed that despite the surgery, the ileostomy bag was not placed in the patient and that the doctors failed to ensure that the stitches were correctly placed. The patient allegedly suffered a decline in health and went into a coma. On the other hand, the hospital and its gastroenterology specialists' physicians denied any fault on their part and asserted that the patient had chronic alcoholism prior to 2015. It was stated that the deceased patient was a frequent visitor to the hospital and that he had been given a chronic pancreatitis diagnosis and was receiving conservative care to maintain his health. Referring to the relevant orders passed by the National Consumer Court explaining medical negligence, the Commission observed, "The aforesaid decisions are aptly applicable to the present set of facts of the complainants."

Source: Medical Dialogues | Read full story