Patients seek refuge at Telangana Consumer Forum

Hyderabad: The Telangana Consumer Forum has penalised Rainbow Hospital, Manipal Super Specialty Hospital and MetQuest Scanning Centre for medical negligence and deficiency of services to patients. The Telangana Consumer Forum has taken up three cases since January 2018 where patients have complained of negligence, causing pain and even deaths of family members. A resident of Malakpet, Hyderabad, Nikitha Reddy has won a case against the Rainbow Children’s Hospital and Prenatal Centre for failure to detect a defect in a foetus during a total of four scans done by the hospital. The scans noted that there were “no obvious foetal structural defects.”

However, after delivery, the baby had a deformity in the right hand. The complainants took a second medical consultation and found that if the scanning centre had detected the congenital deformity of the baby, treatments could have been started. The hospital was told to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh within four weeks. Another resident of Manikoda, Hyderabad, Rajalakshmi has won a case at the consumer forum against Metquest Scanning Centre for failure to detect certain defects in the foetus despite multiple scans. Within 20 days of the complaint, the forum was able to reach a judgement, leading to compensation to the complainant being fixed at Rs 2 lakh liable to be paid by the scanning centre.

Apart, from detecting defects in unborn babies, other pregnancy related cases are being brought to the consumer forum. One particular case led to the premature death of a young woman. Balajinagar, resident, Krishna Rao, filed a complaint against Manipal Super Specialty Hospital for medical negligence resulting in the death of his wife, Anjana Devi, who was admitted to the hospital for termination of an unruptured ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is one wherein the foetus is unable to survive due to its location in the fallopian tube. Medically, ectopic pregnancies are supposed to be terminated at the earliest to prevent internal bleeding and other complications.

Dr Lakshmi Prasuna failed to inject and conduct a timely laparotomy that led to the patient suffering a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and septicemia. Septicemia is a bloodstream infection that is life threatening. The woman died later. The court found medical negligence on behalf of the Manipal Super Specialty Hospital and ordered a compensation of Rs 6 lakh and all other costs to be paid to the complainant within two months. The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said, "It is unfortunate that this incident happened and we are saddened by the same. We are now striving to ensure that the best quality of treatment is given to our patients."  With the help of toll free number, 1800-425-00333, complaints are being called in for both legal metrology and consumer court related issues.