Death due to negligence: Pay Rs 20 lakh to parents of deceased girl, GMCH-32 told

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, May 13

State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed the Director-Principal and the Medical Superintendent of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and other respondents to pay a compensation ofRs 20 lakh andRs 50,000 as litigation costs to the parents of a girl who died due to negligence in her treatment.

Rajesh Kumar Arora and Sneh Arora, residents of Sector 21, Chandigarh, had filed a complaint seeking a compensation of Rs 80 lakh along with litigation expenses, from the GMCH on the ground that there was a joint and several gross medical negligence on their part, which had resulted in the death of their daughter Disha Arora.

They alleged on September 1, 2016, their daughter was suffering from fever and remained under treatment locally till September 4, 2016. On the night of September 4, the fever returned to 100° F, and she was taken to the GMCH on September 5. They alleged that despite the fact that it was well in the knowledge of the opposite parties (medical college) that there was dengue outbreak during the said month, yet they never treated her daughter as suspected case of dengue and gave her some wrong medicines, which resulted in her death the same day.

The opposite parties (medical college) said the complainants concealed facts as they failed to disclose their daughter was suffering from fever for three-four days and the treatment taken in respect thereof, before arrival in their emergency ward.

After hearing of the arguments the Commission, comprising Justice Raj Shekhar Attri, president; Padma Pandey and Rajesh K Arya, members, held the medical college guilty of deficiency in service. The Commission observed that there was nothing on record that the patient was given the basic treatment for dengue, i.e., to put on drip of normal saline, nor was she administered platelets.

What complainants say

Rajesh Kumar Arora and Sneh Arora, residents of Sector 21, Chandigarh, had filed a complaint seeking a compensation of Rs 80 lakh along with litigation expenses, from the GMCH on the grounds that there was joint and several gross medical negligence on their part, which had resulted in the death of their daughter Disha Arora.