Private hospital in Coimbatore directed to pay 6.35 lakh to woman for medical negligence
According to official sources, Malathi of Coimbatore visited a hospital on Puliakulam Road for regular check-ups and treatment during her pregnancy to ensure the health of her baby.
During a visit on October 3, 2022, she was advised to undergo a blood test. The test report showed the presence of HBsAg (Hepatitis B surface antigen) in her blood was non-reactive.
She gave birth to her child on May 2, 2023. During the postnatal period, she experienced a blood loss of 1,000 ml.
As a result, the attending doctor arranged for a transfusion of one unit of packed red cells from the hospital's own blood bank. She was discharged later that day.
After discharge, Malathi began experiencing joint pain and subsequently consulted another hospital.
As per the doctor's advice, she underwent a blood test on August 1, 2023. To her shock, the report showed that HBsAg was positive, confirming that she contracted Hepatitis B.
Between April 30 and August 1, 2023, she was not admitted to, nor did she take any medication from, any other hospital apart from the one on Puliakulam Road.
She also stated that she never suffered from jaundice or any liver-related disease prior to the current diagnosis. Malathi and her family were reportedly traumatised by her illness, which affected her liver.
Following this, she filed a complaint with the Coimbatore District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. In its ruling, commission president R Thangavel and members P Marimuthu and G Suguna directed the private hospital to pay ₹1.35 lakh towards medical expenses and ₹5 lakh as compensation for the mental agony and emotional trauma caused by the hospital's negligence and deficiency in service. Additionally, the hospital was ordered to pay ₹5,000 towards the cost of the proceedings.
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