New Delhi: The Karnataka consumer forum has ordered Deepak Hospital and two of its doctors to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the patient for leaving a 2.3 cm surgical needle in a woman’s spine over two decades ago, a TOI report stated. The patient, 46-year-old Padmavathi, underwent severe abdominal pain, backache, and trauma for over six years until she had the needle removed at a separate hospital, the TOI report noted.
The Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed Deepak Hospital and the doctors responsible for the 2004 botched surgery Rs 50,000 as litigation cost. On the other hand, the New India Assurance Co Ltd issued a policy which covered the hospital against negligence risks and will pay the damages worth Rs 5 lakh.
Another botched surgery in Tamil Nadu, court orders Rs 12 lakh compensation
Meanwhile, a district consumer redressal court in Tamil Nadu recently also ordered a surgeon to pay Rs 12 lakh compensation for a botched hernia surgery, ET had earlier reported.
The patient, 52-year-old M Raja from Rasipuram, underwent a hernia surgery at a private hospital in August 2021. Raja said that during the surgery, he faced negligence from Dr Ramesh, as complications during the procedure arose during which a faulty mesh was implanted in the patient, leading to abdominal infection and further hospitalisation. Moreover, Raja also regained consciousness during the procedure as a result of lack of proper anesthesia.
“I felt great pain during the surgery but the nurses pinned me down to complete the surgery even though I asked them to stop,” Raja recounted.
Post the surgery, Raja suffered from significant health issues which included inability in raising his head, eating difficulties, and loss of weight. The situation got worse as he developed severe fever and was admitted to a separate hospital in Coimbatore where the a second surgery was performed to fix complications from the first.
Raja filed a complaint with the redressal court in September 2022. He attributed his health complications to a delayed surgery, use of a sub-standard mesh, and the initial shortage of necessary gas under Dr Ramesh, which Raja termed as negligence.>
