SC finds doctor guilty of negligence, tells him to pay Rs 25L to deceased's kin

Karam Prakash

Patiala, May 29

The Supreme Court of India has found a laparoscopic surgeon guilty of medical negligence leading to the death of a 47-year-old government schoolteacher in 2004.

What ethics panel report says

Advertisement

Dr Gurmit Singh failed to understand potential post-operative complications signs and warnings that led to the delay in diagnosis of bowel perforation. The committee said Dr Gurmit couldn’t exhibit the professional competence in treating the patient.

---

It was a long-fought battle. We got justice after 18 years. — Harnek Singh, Husband of deceased Manjit Kaur

Dr Gurmit Singh, who is surgeon at Preet Surgical Centre and Maternity Hospital, Patiala, has been asked to pay Rs 25 lakh to family members of the deceased, Manjit Kaur, whom he operated on.

Dr Gurmit Singh had performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy of Manjit to remove gall bladder stones on July 28 in 2004. Following the surgery, the patient started complaining of acute abdominal pain and difficulty in breathing on the very next day.

The patient’s condition deteriorated and she was referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, on July 30, 2004. The doctors at the DMCH suspected iatrogenic injury to the bile duct and colon resulting in peritonitis (inflammation in the lining of abdominal cover).

Doctors at the DMCH performed an emergency laparotomy of the patient on August 3, 2004.

However, the patient’s health kept deteriorating leading to multi organ failure. The patient died on August 11, 2004.

The report of the ethics committee of the Medical Council of India, now known as the National Medical Commission, revealed that Dr Gurmit failed to understand potential post-operative complications signs and warnings that led to the delay in diagnosis of bowel perforation.

The committee furhte said Dr Gurmit couldn’t exhibit the professional competence in treating the patient.

Harnek Singh, husband of deceased Manjit Kaur, said, “It was a long-fought battle. We got justice after 18 years.”