3 doctors offer Rs 2 lakh each to victim Suman to settle case

Chandigarh: A five-year-old case of medical negligence in which three doctors of Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, were held responsible for administering wrong blood to a patient seems to be finally coming to a close with the three doctors offering to pay Rs 2 lakh each as compensation to the victim to settle the matter.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 26

A five-year-old case of medical negligence in which three doctors of Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, were held responsible for administering wrong blood to a patient seems to be finally coming to a close with the three doctors offering to pay Rs 2 lakh each as compensation to the victim to settle the matter.

While an amount of Rs 4.5 lakh was earlier awarded by the state commission, Suman will now receive Rs 6 lakh more, taking the total compensation amount to be received by her to Rs 10.5 lakh.

The case came up for hearing before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi, today when the appeal for enhancement of the compensation amount was heard.

The case came up for hearing before the Bench headed by Justice V B Gupta. Four appeals — one by Suman for enhancement of the compensation amount awarded by the UT state commission and three by the doctors, Kirti Sood, Navdeep Kaur and Manpreet Kaur for setting aside the order of the state commission — were heard today.

After discussion on the compensation with the intervention of the Bench, the doctors offered to pay Rs 2 lakh each to settle the matter.

The court directed the counsel to file a compromise deed within two weeks.

Advocate Pankaj Chandghotia stated that the total compensation for Suman will go up to Rs 10.5 lakh. The case will now come up for hearing on December 16. The incident dates back to December 16, 2010, when wrong blood transfusion to Suman at the GMSH, Sector 16, had resulted in the death of her nine-month-old foetus and damage to her kidneys.

On March 1, 2012, the UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had held the GMSH guilty of medical negligence and directed themto pay Rs 4 lakh compensation to the victim along with Rs 50,000 as litigation costs.

While Suman had moved the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for enhancement of the amount, the three guilty doctors - Kiran Sood, Manpreet Kaur and Navdeep Kaur — had also filed cross-appeals against the orders.