Sukhdev, an advocate by profession, visited Dr. Mathur for a niggling eye problem. The doctor diagnosed an old retinal detachment (RD) in the left eye along with a squint and performed a squint corrective operation. Sukhdev was discharged a day after the operation. Unhappy with the procedure, Sukhdev visited a couple of other hospitals, but to no avail.
It is uncertain what went through his mind as Sukhdev approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi, making some silly and some unfounded claims. It was alleged that Dr. Mathur did not mention anything about RD before performing the squint correction operation and that he suffered RD only after the operation! He even claimed to have lost a chunk of his earning due to this suffering!
The only thing that was lost was perhaps his mind, the Commission would’ve thought. At the outset the Commission observed that none of the hospitals Sukhdev approached after the squint correction surgery mentioned about any negligence during the procedure. Moreover, the Commission further observed that Dr. Mathur had clearly recorded in OPD document ‘Old RD – Poor visual prognosis explained’.
This was the proverbial nail in the coffin that shattered Sukhdev’s claims and false hopes as Dr. Mathur was declared not guilty.
Source: Order pronounced by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhion 5 th January, 2018.