Navi Mumbai: The National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has pulled up a Navi Mumbai-based hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM), for alleged negligence that led to the death of a 12-year-old suffering from snakebite in 2007. The family of the child claimed that the hospital refused to admit him due to a lack of money, instead asking them to visit government hospitals for free treatment.
Upholding a prior judgment by the state consumer commission, the body directed the hospital and the medical officer involved to pay Rs 8 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, to the complainant. The commission maintained that there were discrepancies in the submitted documents of the treatment of the child, particularly in the timings of the treatment filed by the doctor. It further noted that the hospital’s failure to perform a post-mortem on the body created a need for questioning.
State Commission Comes Down Heavily On MGM Hospital
The state commission had come down heavily on the fact that the hospital lacked ventilators and questioned its ability to treat an emergency case like a snakebite. However, this was not upheld by the national commission. The MGM doctor told the father that he could not afford the hospital and should visit a government facility instead.
After repeated requests, the doctor prescribed an injection worth Rs 500, which the father bought after pawning off his wife’s gold ornaments, the complaint read. Langde was then asked to deposit a certain amount for initiating the treatment.
The medical negligence of the hospital and Dr Gupta led to the death of his son, causing irreparable loss, the complaint copy further read.
