A District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in Odisha’s Sambalpur district has imposed a fine of ₹78.66 lakh on two doctors and a nursing home for dereliction of duty.
On November 8, 2017, one Sumit Das met with an accident between Sambalpur and Burla towns, and suffered multiple fractures in his right leg, right foot and right arm. Next day, he was admitted to VSS Medical College Hospital, Burla.
An orthopedic doctor told the accident victim that operation would be possible in a government hospital after four days, while he [the doctor] The operation can be done in a private hospital the next day. Following this advice, Mr. Dash preferred a private nursing home instead of a government hospital.
Based on the treatment history, the DCDRC said that when the revision operation performed on the accident victim failed, the patient was forced to go to a major private hospital in Visakhapatnam, where he spent ₹2.41 lakh.
During the operation, the treating doctors persuaded the victim to choose a titanium implant instead of a steel implant. The DCDRC took strong objection to the advisory and pointed out that while steel implants are generally preferred for young patients, the doctors forced the victim to opt for the costlier option.
When the victim kept running from one hospital to another to recover, he could not join the job offered by an IT giant. “Wrong advice” cost him a lot of time early in his career.
The DCDRC observed that the deficiency in service caused hardship and financial loss not only to the victim but also to her family members.
The two doctors and the private nursing home were directed to pay ₹20 lakh each as compensation. He was also asked to pay ₹2.41 lakh towards medical expenses and ₹16.25 lakh towards loss of income suffered by the victim.