Chennai: Puling up a private hospital at Pulianthope here for not having a paediatrician at the time of delivery of a child, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (North), has directed the hospital to pay a compensation of Rs 5.58 lakh to a woman, who delivered a male child without assistance of paediatrician a decade ago.
Due to negligence of N.R. Medical Home Pvt. Ltd., Pulianthope, the child became mentally retarded and woman developed serious complications.
In the petition, R. Anuradha submitted she consulted Nasreen Ahmed, director of the hospital, at periodic intervals during her pregnancy. She was admitted to the hospital on January 9, 2005, at midnight. She delivered a male child the next day. It was a normal delivery. The hospital failed to render adequate care and proper treatment to her and the newborn.
She said “On January 11, we were told that the infant had become very serious and it was very difficult to treat the child in the hospital and referred the baby to Kanchi Kamakoti Child Trust Hospital, which refused to admit the child stating that delayed arrival, health condition of new born very critical”. As a result of deficiency in service, the child became mentally retarded and the Mental Retardation Certificate Board revealed the child suffered 65 per cent disability.
Subsequently, the child was provided treatment in another private hospital for 10 days. She said only paediatricians were capable of taking care of child deliveries.
Denying the allegations, the hospital submitted that Anuradha delivered a child at about 8.15 a.m on January 10. During afternoon, the respiratory distress had not settled and doctor suggested that the baby required mechanical ventilator and further treatment.
Based on the suggestion of paediatrician K. Sathish, the baby was shifted from the hospital at 5.30.p.m on January 11. The hospital said the allegations were baseless. Similarly, Kanchi Kamakoti Child Trust Hospital denied deficiency in service.
The bench comprising its president, K.Jayabalan and member T.Kalaiyarasi said the medical journals prove that the presence of a paediatrician is a must during deliveries. It is very dangerous for the staff nurse to do the bulb suctioning.
