Hyderabad: Dr A. Kishan, a senior doctor from Warangal, was rapped by the Consumer Forum for causing the death of a 55 year old mother of four.
The complainant, husband of the deceased, stated that his wife, Ameena Bee, was taken to the hospital on 29 August, 2010 as she was suffering from fever, cough and headache.
Ameena’s condition deteriorated when she took the medicines prescribed by the doctor. She visited the hospital again on September 2 and was administered two injections by the doctor. Her children stated that, later that day, she began to lose control of her speech, felt faint and her tongue began to bulge. She was again rushed to the hospital where she was given another injection which led to her death on the spot.
A post-mortem was conducted and the cause of death was identified to be Anaphylactic Shock which means death due to a drug reaction caused by the administration of an injection.
The doctor contended that deceased Ameena Bee was suffering from an acute heart problem, high cholesterol and B.P. and that he had advised the complainants to shift her to MGM hospital for better treatment. But the complainants supposedly did not pay heed to the doctor’s suggestions. He further stated that when she was brought to the hospital on the day of her death, her relatives had called for an ambulance to shift her to MGM hospital. However, it was too late and he couldn’t be blamed.
He also stated that he had not administered any injections but the Forum referred to the post-mortem report which clearly mentioned the needle wounds found on the deceased. It read “Ante mortem pin head size puncture wound (injection mark) present over dorsum of left hand with surrounding tissue Chymosis.”
The Forum stated that the doctor had adopted unfair trade practices and that there was clear medical negligence on his part. It also noted that the doctor failed to perform his duty, causing loss of life that was irreplaceable. The Forum ruled in favour of the complainant asking the opposite party to pay Rs 3,96,000 for medical negligence, Rs 50,000 as compensation and Rs 25,000 towards costs.
