HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Karimnagar, has ordered a private hospital and one of its doctors to jointly pay Rs 2.5 lakh for causing agony to the complainant and compelling him to undergo treatment at another hospital.
The amount has to be paid along with nine percent interest per annum from the date of filing of the complaint on July 14, 2015 till the payment of entire amount for all the reliefs claimed by the petitioner, Katukam Srinivas.
In his complaint, Srinivas, who had undergone treatment for his injured right leg at Renee Hospital in Karimnagar in 2014, alleged that he complained about the tightness in his leg but the same was not attended to by the doctors. As the doctors did not diagnose compartment syndrome (a painful buildup of pressure around your muscles), it resulted in severe infection. Later, the hospital informed Srinivas that the syndrome would result in severe tissue damage with loss of body function or could even lead to death.
As a result, the doctors did fasciotomy on Srinivas with an assurance that the pain would subside and discharge of pus would stop. However, there was no relief despite the operation. He also caught a fever of 103 F as well as suffered from foot drop (lifting the forefoot due to the weakness of the foot muscles).
With no respite, the complainant’s relatives insisted on discharge for taking treatment at a better hospital. While Renee hospital management returned the Rs 50,000 paid initially by Srinivas for treatment, the complainant incurred over Rs 12,000 during treatment at Apollo Hospital, Secunderabad. Before getting admitted to Apollo Hospital, Srinivas consulted another private hospital, where doctors suggested amputation of his right leg. He alleged that the expenditure at the Apollo was a result of negligent treatment by Renee Hospital, adding that the latter knew about the consequences of compartment syndrome but neglected in handling the same.
In its defence, the doctor from Renee hospital denied negligence, adding that it was incorrect to say that in spite of knowing the symptoms of the patient, it could not identify the compartment syndrome. But, it admitted, to some extent the development of complications regarding the compartment syndrome, but denied negligence.