Ludhiana hospital told to pay Rs 40 lakh for negligence

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 2

The Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Christian Medical College (CMC), Ludhiana, to pay a compensation of Rs 40 lakh along with 9 per cent interest to a resident of Mandi Gobindgarh for unprofessionally destroying the bone marrow of his 7-year-old daughter before her donor gave his marrow for transplant. The girl later died.

President of the commission Justice (retd) Paramjeet Singh Dhaliwal and member Kiran Sibal on Monday ordered that a copy of the order, which was pronounced recently, be sent to the CMC for its compliance within two months of the receipt of the order. The CMC has also been asked to pay Rs 33,000 as the litigation expenses. The interest on the compensation will be paid from the date of the complaint till the date of actual payment.

Inderpreet Singh’s daughter was undergoing treatment for thalassaemia major at the CMC when in November 2012 the doctor concerned told him that his daughter could be treated permanently with a bone marrow transplant. Medical negligence “up to some extent” led to her death on November 4, 2014.

On record the doctor wrote a letter in April 2014 to the DATRI (blood stem cell donors’ registry) and received a letter regarding the availability of donor for the patient a few days later. Inderpreet deposited Rs 16 lakh with the CMC.

The doctor started chemotherapy of the patient in October 2014, which destroyed her bone marrow stem cells. Due to chemotherapy, her platelet count started decreasing and her condition became critical. She died on November 4, 2014.

The Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission underlined that the daughter of the complainant had died due to medical negligence on part of the hospital “to some extent”. The commission also noted that “no amount of money was sufficient to compensate the loss of a child”.

7-yr-old thalassaemia patient was the victim

Mandi Gobindgarh resident Inderpreet Singh’s seven-year-old daughter was undergoing treatment for thalassaemia major at the CMC when in November 2012 the doctor concerned told him that his daughter could be treated permanently with a bone marrow transplant. Medical negligence “up to some extent” led to her death on November 4, 2014.