JAIPUR: A permanent Lok Adalat in Bharatpur has awarded Rs 23,36,774 to a woman who allegedly underwent chemotherapy for more than two years after being wrongly diagnosed with cancer. The court ordered the payment comprising Rs 20 lakh for mental agony, physical suffering and financial loss, and Rs 3,36,774 for medical bills.
The order directed the doctors and insurance companies to jointly pay the compensation to Laxmi Sharma, a resident of Bharatpur. She had approached Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Jaipur in October 2020 with complaints of abdominal pain and discomfort. Doctors diagnosed her with cancer on the basis of medical tests and started chemotherapy.
When her health failed to improve despite prolonged treatment, her family took her to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai in January 2023. Fresh tests at the Mumbai hospital found that Sharma had tuberculosis, and not cancer.
According to the case, unnecessary chemotherapy caused Sharma physical and mental suffering. Her family and relatives were also left distressed after being told about cancer.