ARCHIVES

  • 2024
    • November
      • Emergencies know no boundaries
      • Patients interpreting test report, a bizarre trend
      • Initial consent sufficient for performing emergency procedure – National Consumer Commission
      • Imported implants & new procedures – Exercise caution!
    • October
      • Experience cannot compensate for expertise
      • Months old USG relied to perform TAH. Not accepted, rules the court.
      • Taking consent in local language, ‘strong evidence of surgeon’s act’
      • Claiming to be a specialist, physician’s reputation gets dented
    • September
      • Medical terms cannot be viewed in dictionary sense
      • Three errors too many
      • Doctor loses protocol battle against the hospital he worked with
      • Poorly maintained medical records, poor defence. No medical records, no defence.
    • August
      • Court accepts that medical science could be limited by technology
      • Misleading advertisements lands OBGYN in a soup
      • Rare complication can ‘skip surgeon’s mind’
      • Shortage of doctors on a weekend – Hospital suffers holiday blues!
    • July
      • Dentist taken to court for not giving an inflated bill – Court rules that patient’s case has no teeth
      • Tampering blood transfusion records – Court sees red
      • Obtaining implants for surgery could be a logistical problem, observes court
      • Dental surgeon practicing as orthodontist – Medical negligence
    • June
      • Cardiologist, hospital held accountable for ‘cheating and mischief’ in implanting wrong pacemaker
      • Reporting terminal ailments - Merely stating “advised to correlate the report with clinical findings” not enough to escape legal liability
      • Not performing ‘expansive diagnostic tests’ proves to be expensive for this doctor
      • Pre-operative tests to ensure that the patient is ‘hale & hearty’, a legal mandate
      • Court holds surgeon not negligent, but hospital negligent for the post-surgery ‘mischief’ committed by its staff
    • May
      • General surgeon performing prostrate surgery ‘reflects an unholy haste’
      • Court appreciates gynaecologist for taking opinion of more experienced peers when patient turns critical - Holds this is not an unauthorised involvement
      • Court accepts doctors need to upgrade their skills - Attending conferences even if a patient is admitted / critical is not negligence
      • No evidence given for clot formation – Hospital held negligent
      • General surgeon pays 50 lakh rupees compensation
    • April
      • In this atmosphere of distrust, how does a doctor prove that a key-hole surgery was performed? Court relies on detailed documentation, overlooks typo error
      • Unsigned documentation – Surgeon held negligent, pays compensation
      • Stabilizing a critical patient and not shifting to higher centre is not negligence, holds National Consumer Commission
      • Adopt best practices to avoid bad outcomes
    • March
      • Hospitalizing patients under a team of doctors - Need for clearer protocols in India
      • In absence of clinical symptoms, doctors can’t be held accountable for complications
      • Failure to keep blood ready / on standby for patient with rare blood group shows lack of “reasonable skill and care”
      • Lack of O2 in the brain results in patient’s death – Hospital chokes in court
    • February
      • ‘Expected Complications’ – Whether or not steps were taken to prevent, recognise and / or manage them by doctors will be taken into account by courts
      • Post-op complication after a ‘reasonably common surgery’ - Gynaecologist held negligent
      • Patient consulted too many doctors and visited too many hospitals, observes court - Hospital / doctors held not negligent
      • Pregnancy at fifty! Allegations of negligence misconceived
      • Simple laparoscopy took 5.30 hours! Court’s suspicion about what went wrong inside OT gets confirmed in absence of medical records
    • January
      • INR twenty lakh fined for a ‘technical glitch’
      • Hospital is liable for the quality of implants purchased under it’s name on the invoice says court
      • Discharge summary – A strong defence against unfounded allegations
      • Doctor & hospital had indemnity cover of 5 lakhs each but court awards 50 lakhs as compensation - Need for contemplation regarding amount of insurance cover
  • 2023
    • December
      • Medical devices can be advanced, but not always correct
      • Is recurrence of kidney stone 2 years after surgical removal negligence? Court says no
      • Doc & hospital pay hefty compensation for ignoring a basic protocol
      • Anaesthetist records irrelevant facts that are not normally mentioned - Court observes “doctor is trying to escape from his liability”
    • November
      • Dead body used as hostage to collect ‘illegal’ dues – Hospital draws court’s ire!
      • Surgical patient admitted in a medical ward and also left unattended - Court holds hospital negligent
      • The correct definition of patient’s interest is…
      • Patient or attendant is nobody to question or dictate terms of treatment to the doctors
      • Ignoring guidelines costs this hospital a lot
    • October
      • The importance of recording consent. Court refuses patient’s claim about being given 100% guarantee to achieve pregnancy through IVF
      • General surgeon’s act “incorrect and against medical ethics” – National Consumer Commission
      • Signs of appendicitis absent on operating table! What do doctors do to convince relatives about imperfection of medical science?
      • Consent taken for diagnostic procedure invalid for therapeutic procedure
    • September
      • Hospital booked for not providing treatment bill
      • Noting wrong name of patient in medical records, doctor’s ‘gross mistake’ holds court
      • Ortho surgeon loses lustre for ignoring the ‘golden hour’
      • Court holds doctor negligent for being absent after admission and treating ‘only’ on telephone
    • August
      • Doctors asking for fees – No need for patients to feel offended, observes the court
      • Doctor can’t be held negligent for missing an anomaly caused due to genetical and environmental factors
      • Court’s observations silences the patient who kept crying foul
      • Court holds surgeon negligent for not following medical text and missing a sub-clinical occult fracture
      • Known post-op complications not negligence, if…
    • July
      • Court gives doctor chance to redeem himself in a case of obvious negligence - Are Indian courts pro-doctors?
      • Stent used or not – that’s at heart of the matter
      • Not referring to a higher facility but managing an emergency patient - Not an act of omission
      • Committing to free treatment, refund or compensation? Exercise caution!
    • June
      • Principal surgeon performs surgery, patient dies. Assisting surgeon also held negligent!
      • Assaults on doctors, strikes, deaths – How do we cure these ailments?
      • Possibility of post-anesthesia complications? Nothing wrong in declaring patient ‘unfit for surgery’ in such cases
      • Taking consent-signatures on multiple pages saves doc from multiple problems
      • Ortho surgeons performing spinal surgeries? This case may ruffle the feathers
    • May
      • Perform your duty, or pay compensation
      • Taking consent in local language, ‘strong evidence of surgeon’s act’
      • Better care expected from tertiary care hospitals
      • Experience cannot compensate for expertise
    • April
      • Cardiologist suffers heart attack, attacks the surgeon in vain
      • Super obese v/s super-super obese – Slim chance of winning the classification war
      • Physician wins legal battle against the surgeon
      • Issuing a ‘fit-to-fly’ certificate almost crashes doctor’s reputation
    • March
      • Presenting, a new benchmark in the ‘weird allegations’ category
      • ‘Fabricated records to save their skin’
      • ‘Fabricated records to save their skin’
      • Gynec. held negligent for being eight hours too late
      • That’s how to take an informed consent
      • Venturing beyond expertise, a very dangerous affair
    • February
      • Malaria parasite almost infects this hospital and its doctors
      • Diagrammatic representation makes this hospital’s case crystal clear
      • Difference in case papers and typed report – an attempt to save the doctor?
      • Doctors behaving like demi-gods – Not done, observes the court
    • January
      • The heavy cost of ‘medical misadventure’
      • A case of bad peas in a pod? Or not?
      • Why blame the hospital? Hep-C can be contracted from insulin needles also!
      • Not performing ‘ethical duty’ costs radiology lab 1.25 crores!
  • 2022
    • December
      • Doctors’ denials ‘enlightens’ the Court
      • Age-old procedure in the New Age? Yes, why not.
      • Technical snag? Fair. Not doing anything about it, unfair
      • Improper or inhumane? You decide.
      • Oh what a numbing loss
    • November
      • Surgery not always a solution to manage complications
      • Big hospital lacking in system of checks & balances, a big no
      • What was the hurry, doc?
      • What a ‘bone of contention’!
    • October
      • Gynec blames the patient, court surprises her with facts!
      • Change is a way of life, even on the operating table
      • Surgeon did not take informed consent, or notice post-operative complications – So he had to pay compensation
      • Diagnosis and management of hospital-acquired infection
    • September
      • Twice the trouble for not conducting triple test
      • Court awards a hefty compensation for mismatched blood transfusion
      • Wife on ventilator, husband breathless & restless
      • Is hospital liable for negligent acts of consulting doctors? Yes.
      • Hand over patient’s case with ‘regard and care’
    • August
      • Family feuds with doctors, fails to impress the court
      • Another mop bites the dust
      • Coconut oil & Kapoor for eight lakh rupees!
      • And the best method to detect kidney stones is…
    • July
      • Gynec. absent, general surgeon negligent
      • Doctor’s defence crushed to ‘drill bits’
      • Delay costs everyone dearly
    • June
      • Ex-cop’s ‘misconceptions’ arrested by the court
      • Faulty equipment, not necessarily hospital’s fault
      • Quoting fine print, not fine!
      • Complications or constipation?
      • Post-mortem a must for ascertaining ‘other reasons’
    • May
      • Five stents too many?
      • Unsolved mystery goes down in history
      • Doctor’s bright future, under a ‘cast of shadow’
      • Giving wrong investigation report, a case of negligence per se
    • April
      • The dire need of standardizing angiography reporting
      • Stabilize first, transfer later
      • One can’t be held guilty for the mistake of another
      • Kidney removed, instead of kidney stone!
    • March
      • Mismanagement of medical records ails healthcare system
      • High on sugar, low on facts
      • Computer glitch causes an itch
      • Hiding facts from court exposes hospital’s vulnerability
    • February
      • Leaving patient in OT – beyond imagination
      • No mercy for controversy
      • Doc’s ‘bald statements’, a hairy affair
      • Mistake or a blunder?
    • January
      • Gory goes for glory, fails miserably
      • Hospitals & doctors bear the weight of husband’s unbearable loss
      • Mere legal principles not enough, taking expert medical opinion also important – Supreme Court
  • 2021
    • December
      • Hospital & docs clubbed for not doing ‘spade of work’
      • No clarity, no cause and no case
      • Court says no need of consent for outdoor day-care procedures
      • Quality of biomaterials, buyer’s responsibility
      • Emergency services demand adequate facilities
    • November
      • You can call a Rose by any name, but not the patient
      • Rule out complications – That’s the rule
      • Court saves doc from angry husband’s fury
      • Temperatures flared due to malaria, cooled down by court
    • October
      • Clean record and sterilized equipment
      • A doctor’s decade-old mistake haunts the hospital
      • Faulty blood storage – Court sees red
      • Administrative lapses continue to burden hospitals
    • September
      • Family demands CCTV footage, court shows them the door
      • A case of errors, few too many
      • Hospital & docs almost suffer transplantation blues
      • A stitch in time saves nine
      • Treating without proper diagnosis, an insult to injur
    • August
      • Referring the patient? Confirm doctor’s availability first
      • The bitter result of diabetes
      • Assumptions bear a heavy price
      • Surgeon knows better
    • July
      • Dengue shock shocks patient’s family
      • Self-care patient’s tactics proves to be self-destructive
      • Treating an accident victim by non-specialists – Court surprised
      • Angry old man, villain of this story
      • A sorry saga of an unqualified nursing-home owner, qualified doctor and patient’s death
      • Treatment without diagnosis? Not possible
    • June
      • Choices have consequences
      • Temporary paralysis did not cause permanent damage
      • Hospital’s unsuccessful attempt to ‘escape’ its duty
    • May
      • Common response to a rare occurrence
      • Can’t turn a blind eye to medical laws
      • Humanity v/s humanitarian grounds
      • Issuing two bills is one mistake this hospital won’t ever make
    • April
      • Autoimmune disorder triggers myelitis, and allegations of negligence
      • Consent in patient’s / attendant’s handwriting? Yes, why not!
      • Advances of allegation halted, end-stage cancer held responsible
      • Hospital held accountable for negligence of its ICU staff
    • March
      • Wrong treatment burns a hole in the pocket
      • Allegations fall flat against Pandora’s Box
      • Cancer claims yet another life, and almost affects doctors too
      • No medical records? No legal defence!
      • Which one out of the eight?
    • February
      • Hospital administers expiry date drugs – Loses its day in court
      • Medical history – A ‘fish’bone of contention
      • Misfortunes came in plenty
      • Doctor’s action v/s patient’s knee-jerk reaction
    • January
      • Without medical records, all efforts go in vain
      • Choosing “lesser evil”, a necessity in some cases
      • Another one bites the dust
      • Post-operative complications complicates doctor’s life
  • 2020
    • December
      • Patient and doctor experience bitter taste of diabetes
      • A case of ‘rigid procedures over medical ethics’
      • Not all mistakes amount to negligence
      • An informed consent is non-negotiable
      • Delayed treatment - A case for punishment
    • November
      • ‘Heavier’ the liability, higher the compensation
      • Studied silence does hospital and its doctors no good
      • Dent in hospital’s coffers for not providing medical records
      • Leak in patient’s allegations plugged by the court
    • October
      • ‘Meter down’ - NRI taxi driver tries to trap the doctor for compensation, fails miserably
      • Patient delays in giving consent – but rushes to consumer court for compensation!
      • Patient sits on dharna, faces instant karma
      • Inconsistent defence is a weak defence
      • Malaria, jaundice and negligence claims patient’s life
    • September
      • Stranger than fiction!
      • Non-compliant patient demands compensation!
      • Non-obedient patient and overconfident doctor
      • Couple opts for surrogacy, given someone else’s baby
    • August
      • Discharging critically ill patients, a dereliction of duty
      • Error and negligence as different as chalk and cheese
      • Miscarriage that was not
      • Ghost of dead patient haunts the hospital who handed over body to wrong family!
    • July
      • Snakebite not as deadly as this hospital’s mistakes
      • Bruised ego attacks loose reporting
      • Better equipment or higher facility?
      • ‘Tube’light at the end of tunnel
      • Avast’in’, allegation out
    • June
      • GP booked for not maintaining his OPD patients’ records
      • Common allegation for a rare complication
      • Heavy price for improper billing!
      • Not submitting a reply to specific complain, as good as admitting guilt
    • May
      • Another hospital mopped up
      • Sheer madness!
      • Hospital’s incorrect reaction for its staff’s action
      • Anaesthetic reaction numbs this hospital’s claim
    • April
      • It’s a boy! Err, and a foreign object…
      • Typographical mistake ‘can be’ a bona fide error.htm
      • Informed consent, yes. But whose?
      • Hospitals! It is an emergency…
      • What’s in a name? Apparently, everything!
    • March
      • Court blows away ‘cloud of doubts’ cast by the patient
      • ‘Satisfaction certificate’ v/s dissatisfied patient
      • Safety first
      • Tale of an impatient patient
      • Right verdict against wrong reporting
    • February
      • Doctor’s assertion draws positive inference
      • Freak accident leaves everyone bamboozled
      • Expressing unconfirmed suspicion? Exercise caution!
      • Open fracture leads to broken and unfounded allegations
      • Patient loses eyesight, doctor loses the case
    • January
      • Relatives denying post-mortem? You must do this…
      • Frivolous complain fails miserably
      • Hospital’s negligence implied as a patient commits suicide
  • 2019
    • December
      • Court appalled at hospital’s lack of critical care protocol
      • Hospital stunned as it fails to prove the quality of stent
      • Who will ascertain quality of an implant – Doctor or the manufacturer?
      • Careless patients – Doctors’ headache
    • November
      • Penalty for treating patient outside the specialty
      • Dead patient’s husband ordered to pay fine for wasting court’s time
      • Hospital brickbats – Doctor plays tit-for-tat
      • Different ailments, similar symptoms – What to do?
      • How to treat the patient? Only the doctor will decide!
    • October
      • Comparing chalk and cheese? Court says, no please!
      • Recording crucial and material details helps doctor win ‘misnomer’ of a case
      • Patient’s life in danger? Focus on performing life-saving procedure!
      • A small lapse costs doctor lakhs
      • Ridiculousness hits a new low!
      • Doctor doles out ten lac compensation for not paying attention
      • Deep seated infection spurs an ingrained bias
      • Earwax removal turns out to be sticky affair for the doctor
    • August
      • Death due to rapidly growing tumour quickly takes an ugly turn for the doctor
      • Miscommunication with patients – A leading reason for cases of medical negligence
      • Following ‘accepted medical practice’ saves Ortho surgeon’s day
    • July
      • Doctor’s case becomes complicated as she does not manage post-operative complications
      • Young boy commits suicide, father blames the doctor for his death
      • Hospital fabricates – Court orders them to compensate
      • Wife’s unfortunate death makes distraught husband blind to the facts
    • June
      • Sensitivity towards patient’s relatives a must – Expert Committee
      • A ‘cock & bull story’ costs doctors twelve lakh rupees
      • Daughter tumbles at home – Father creates a rumble at hospital
      • Wrong intramuscular injection in gluteal region – Pain in the doctor’s buttocks
      • Hospital taken to laundry by law for ‘dominating’ patient’s will
    • May
      • Bizarre! Amputee declared as ‘dead’ in discharge certificate
      • Mere allegation of exorbitant charge not ground for deficiency in service
      • Not making notes in medical records is medical negligence
    • April
      • Doctor blamed for not giving concession
      • Injury to patient during MRI scan burns a hole in radiologist’s pocket
      • Honest doc punished for making an innocent mistake
      • False assurance costs patient her life, twenty lakh to hospital and doctors
    • March
      • Patient’s false complain ‘piled out’ by the court
      • Present an unbiased expert opinion
      • Another false claim bites the dust
      • Doc ‘butted’ by court for unfair trade practice
      • Patient gets divorced as pathology lab declares him infertile
    • February
      • Gynaecologist blamed for lame reasons
      • Doctors can’t fear the law when choosing line of treatment
      • Doctor’s vast experience trumps medical literature
    • January
      • Consent at time of admission valid for an intervention? No says the court
      • Frivolous complain against doctor draws court’s ire
      • Ambiguous advertisements cannot mislead law
      • Meticulous record-keeping quashes frivolous claims
  • 2018
    • December
      • Not dealing with post-operative complications can cost dearly
      • Failure to readmit a serious patient costs doc & hospital dearly
      • Doctor booked for not recording clinical findings
      • Better to consult a serious patient in person than over the telephone
    • November
      • Court accepts doc’s submission of not using a banned drug
      • Patient’s payback to hospital for not refunding treatment cost
      • Doc offers no answers on questions related to patient’s death
      • Post-operative complications not my fault, says the doc
    • October
      • Failure to inform prognosis is failure on part of healthcare provider
      • Greed of compensation, a sight for patient’s sore eye
      • Death of a new-born takes doctor’s breath away
      • New mother loses finger – Doc & Hospital lose the case
    • September
      • Ill planned and unethical procedure costs doc dearly
      • What’s the cost of negligence? Twenty lakh rupees in this case!
      • Free service is also a service
    • August
      • An old patient dies – Its doctor’s fault, the son cries
      • Doc claims to be an angel despite committing grave mistakes
      • Radiologist in double trouble for failing to report twins
      • Patients often allege negligence based on their own perception of it
    • July
      • Think twice before advising medication on telephone
      • Under warranty bridge falls – So does the doc’s reputation
      • Patient’s hope of compensation dies with the doctor
      • Doc does everything right, but pays for not taking consent
      • Court finds force in patient’s allegations - Orders Ayurvedic doc to compensate
    • June
      • Another doc booked for treating without confirming diagnosis
      • Where is expert in the expert opinion, questions the court
      • Social media exposes patient’s false claims
      • Better to show up in court even when there is a clear case of medical negligence
    • May
      • Share the information or dole out compensation
      • Zealous patient scores a self-goal
      • Advising administration of anaesthesia over telephone can be a numbing experience
      • Citing acceptable medical literature bolsters hospital’s case
    • April
      • Doc gets bitter taste of his own medicine as he provides treatment without diagnosing
      • Patient doesn’t get relief – Drags doc to the court
      • Inform unavailability of doctors well in advance to patients
      • Double check before declaring the patient HIV +
      • Hospital not obliged to provide ambulance, rules the court
    • March
      • Delay in transferring the patient is negligence
      • Treatment without diagnoses – A costly affair
      • Court sees red as doc implants expired lens
      • Court tunes out radiologist’s claims
    • February
      • Using the same pacemaker almost stops patient’s heartbeat
      • Non-qualified hospitals and doctors are nothing but quacks
      • Doc fails to confirm blood group before performing C-section, patient dies
      • OPD records saves ophthalmologist from blind claims
    • January
      • Free service doesn’t mean free to commit negligence, says court
      • Doc forgets needle inside patient’s thigh – Claims x-ray is fabricated!
      • A case of uncontrolled diabetes and hysterical claims
  • 2017
    • December
      • Gynaec’s haste renders patients life to waste
      • Doc chips in compensation for using ‘unsafe’ sutural clips
      • Doctor realises the importance of maintaining medical records after being penalized
      • Leukaemia proves fatal for son, and for father’s ability to reason
    • November
      • Preventive care a must for vulnerable patients with history of ailments
      • Screwed and how!
      • Patient loses her life – Nursing home & Doctor their credibility
      • The fatality of carelessness
    • October
      • Didn’t give proper advice? Dole out compensation!
      • First of its kind: Maharashtra Bill to stop doctors’ commissions cuts both ways
      • Pain-in-the-hip patient put to place
      • Court breaks the case of a doctor who didn’t treat fracture
    • September
      • Further confusion - Is MCI the authority to approve a foreign therapy / procedure?
      • Eye surgeon taken to cleaners for failing to sterilize the equipment
      • Doc plays hide & seek, court catches him red-handed
      • Patient rapped by the court for laying a trap for the doctor
      • Radiologist plays pathologist at his own cost
    • August
      • Chemist gets creative, law gets punitive
      • Hospital treated the way it treated its patient
      • Patient’s toothache causes dentist a headache
      • Res IpsaLoquitor v/s Expert’s Opinion
    • July
      • New mother delivers old allegations
      • Court declares doctor guilty as he fails to declare a patient’s HIV + status
      • Failure of equipment can’t be used as an excuse for postponing a pre-planned surgery
      • Patient dies in a nursing home lacking infrastructure and skills
    • June
      • Hospital pays dearly for not providing the bill
      • Possibility of a recurrence must be conveyed to the patient
      • Young patient loses eyesight – Father claims doctor’s treatment was not right
      • Patient expires – Hospital blamed for administering expired medicines
    • May
      • Tall claims get short end of the stick
      • Patient fakes the case, law takes his case
      • Court delivers a fair and handsome ruling
      • Law plucks out the hospital’s wisdom tooth
    • March
      • Take an informed consent or dole out compensation
    • February
      • Temperatures flare as patient succumbs to Swine Flu
    • January
      • Proper record-keeping – Hospital’s remedy against baseless allegations
  • 2016
    • December
      • The price of diligence is lot less than the cost of regret
      • Court delivers a fitting verdict for incompetent gynaecology
    • November
      • Smoking surely kills. It can also take a doctor’s breathe away!
      • Hospital ordered to shed over INR 1 lac for a lose-lose weight-loss treatment
      • Benefits outweigh risks, rules the court
      • Broken hand breaks patient’s heart!
    • October
      • Greedy patient sues the doctor for saving his life!
      • Bad decision doesn’t make a good case
    • September
      • This patient gets a crash-course on medico-legal aspects
      • Doctor denies ‘forgetting’ surgical mop in patient’s abdomen
    • August
      • Simple case of hair fall gets into a legal tangle
      • Better to not have such relatives
      • The title of Dr. Dolittle goes to…
    • July
      • Patient’s lack of personal hygiene lands the doctor in trouble!
      • Son’s loss of vision makes father blind to the facts
      • Dr. Do-Good’s Patient Up-To-No Good
      • Doctor v/s Doctor
    • June
      • Dad or a devil?
      • Doctor leaves artery clamps in patient’s stomach, as her last legacy
      • Complicated pregnancy? Complicate gynaecologist’s life!
    • May
      • Meet the doctor who promotes the spread of cancer!
      • Neurosurgeon’s hospital held for Ortho’s misdoings
      • Court slaps the quack with a hefty fine
      • Court opens the eyes of a bewitched lawyer
    • April
      • Law numbs anaesthesiologist’s mind-numbing arguments
      • Patient loses job due to negligence of nursing staff
      • Patient asphyxiates while having tea, Doctor is dragged to the court by his family.
    • March
      • Diabetic patient makes the doctor’s experience a bitter one
      • Seven turns out to be an unlucky number for the dentist
      • Patient loses vision, doctor loses the case.