In a landmark decision, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) fined Apollo Speciality Hospital in Chennai and its two doctors ₹ 30 lakh for medical negligence. The case concerned an allegation of carelessness in the post-operative management of a patient who had spine surgery in April 2015, which finally resulted in the patient’s untimely death in April 2017.
The patient’s son and wife filed the case, which named Dr. Vasantha Roopan, an anesthetist, consultant spine surgeon Sajan K. Hegde, Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai, and Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd. The complainants were represented by advocate Madhukar Pandey, who outlined the series of events that transpired following the spinal surgery on April 20, 2015.
After the procedure, the patient did not wake up and was in a vegetative condition till he passed away. Under the direction of Justice A P Sahi, the NCDRC carefully examined the case. Critical errors in the post-operative treatment regimen were noted, including the patient’s inability to restore consciousness after being extubated and his delayed response to reintubate despite medical recommendations.
The commission expressed disapproval of the anesthetist’s conduct, pointing out that reintubation was delayed significantly in spite of the patient’s worsening condition. The NCDRC considered this delay, which was anticipated to be around five hours, to be possibly lethal. The hospital staff’s careless behavior and their tardiness in attending to the patient’s medical needs were detailed in the commission’s order dated February 26.
The decision by the NCDRC highlighted the anesthetist’s and hospital staff’s blatant negligence, since they failed to act appropriately until the patient went into a coma. The surgeon’s lack of action and justification for the delayed heeding of medical advice was also attacked.
As a result, the panel found the anesthetist negligent and awarded damages totaling ₹ 10 lakh. Dr. K S Hegde was found vicariously guilty and fined ₹ 5 lakh; the hospital, on the other hand, was penalized ₹ 15 lakh for permitting the incident to worsen, ruining the patient’s life and giving the family much anguish.
This historic decision by the NCDRC is a sobering reminder of how crucial it is to follow medical guidelines and attend to patients’ post-surgery requirements as soon as possible. It also emphasizes how legally responsible doctors and healthcare organizations are for guaranteeing patient safety and high-quality treatment.
