HYDERABAD – The Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Ankura Hospital for Women and Children and a treating physician to pay a total compensation of ₹30 lakh to the family of a woman who died due to medical negligence. According to a report by NewsMeter, the commission also awarded ₹20,000 towards litigation costs after rejecting the hospital’s defence.
Case Background and Fatal Lapses:
The case involves a patient who was originally admitted for treatment of anaemia but was subsequently advised to undergo major surgery. Following the procedure, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
- Improper Surgical Timing: The commission found that performing the surgery while the patient was menstruating—and in an anaemic state—was inappropriate and risky, given there was no medical emergency.
- Failure to Manage Complications: A critical finding by the commission was the hospital’s failure to control post-operative bleeding in a timely manner. This led to a sharp drop in blood pressure and subsequent multi-organ failure.
- Infrastructure Deficiencies: The hospital lacked a dialysis facility, forcing a delayed transfer to another private facility in Jubilee Hills during the early hours of the morning. Despite being placed on a ventilator at the second hospital, the patient could not be revived.
Rejection of the Hospital’s Defence:
The hospital and the doctor argued that the death was caused by Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) and that they had provided proper counselling. However, the commission dismissed these claims, noting that SIRS does not typically occur without a prior infection, which contradicted the hospital’s own medical records.
The ruling serves as a stern reminder of the legal principle of accountability in the healthcare sector, specifically regarding the “golden hour” of medical intervention and the necessity of adequate infrastructure when performing complex surgeries.
