HYDERABAD: An emergency Caesarean section conducted at a hospital here turned embarrassing for a woman, as she ended up losing bladder control. Her incontinent urinary discharge was due to the “negligent” surgery performed in 2011, a district consumer forum recently observed, and directed the hospital to compensate her with Rs 6.6 lakh.
P Meena (name changed), a resident of LB Nagar, visited the hospital from May 2011 for her regular medical check-ups during her first pregnancy. As the due date approached, the duty doctors called for a C-section at 10 pm on September 9, 2011. The surgery was performed and it was said to be a “normal delivery”, but after being discharged, Meena, on September 13, 2011, complained of incontinent urinary discharge.
She complained to the doctors about this on September 27, 2011, but her condition was reportedly not taken seriously. Excessive intake of water and pelvic floor exercises were prescribed. However, Meena continued to involuntarily wet her clothes and bed sheets. When she decided to get checked up at a different hospital, a serious post-surgery complication came to the fore. Meena had developed ureterovaginal fistula due to a vertical tear in the lower part of her stomach.
The complication could arise due to a C-section. Meena alleged that she suffered not just embarrassment, but also bleak chances of getting pregnant again, due to the faulty surgery by junior doctors. Hyderabad Consumer Forum 2 member Meera Ramanathan, in a stern order, held that the hospital’s services were inadequate. The forum said the doctors were not careful enough to ensure the delivery was conducted properly.
It added that the complainant must be paid Rs 1.5 lakh as she had to undergo a corrective surgery at a different hospital, a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for being subjected to “embarrassment” and “inconvenience”, and Rs 10,000 towards court charges.