Hyderabad: Lawyers put doctors on alert

Hyderabad: Patients in the city are becoming aware of their rights, say advocates dealing with medical negligence cases. About 15 per cent of all cases in the consumer courts of AP and Telangana are on medical negligence, coming close on the heels of real estate and insurance complaints.

“Almost all hospitals in the city have had some or the other kind of negligence incident in the past,” says advocate Gourishankar Rao, who has dealt with over 100 such cases.

He explains that incorrect diagnosis, wrong drugs and poor post operative care are the major areas where patients get mistreated.

“In one of the cases, anesthesia was wrongly administered and the small boy's brain was severely damaged and he went into a vegetative state. The Consumer State Commission found the hospital and doctor guilty and ordered them to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family,” said Gourishankar.

The growing number of private hospitals could well be the reason for cases of medical negligence being on the rise. “The corporate hospitals tend to be driven by money and order multiple tests which may not even be needed for the treatment or diagnosis,” says advocate Sreenivas Rao.

“In the medical fraternity, the unity is strong and so it becomes difficult to get a doctor to speak against the misdoings of another,” says Sudnyata, an advocate.

Health awareness

•  Medical cases can be filed under consumer protection act because consumer is paying for getting a medical service. If the treatment is from a free at government hospital, a case can be filed in the regular court.
•  Study shows- 110% rise in medical negligence cases country wide.
• 90% of all cases in medical negligence involve hospitals compared to 20 years ago when the figure was only 50%