The patient with history of asthma, diagnosed with pneumonia and fluctuating fever, was admitted to the hospital. She suffered other medical conditions such as loose motion and vomiting. Her father was a doctor.
A team of doctors, including chest physician and physicians adopted line of treatment to address lower respiratory tract infection, fever, nausea, etc. The patient was admitted to HDU, but despite best efforts, she succumbed to the ailments.
Her doctor-father was livid. He sued the hospital and doctors, hurling a barrage of allegations. But his two main contentions were that:
- The principal / primary doctor was a not a Physician but rather a MD of Preventive & Social Medicine. He was a quack - not competent to treat the patient
- Despite knowing that patient was allergic to sulpha drugs, she was administered levosulpride thrice a day in excessive doses
The hospital and its doctors relied on medical records to present their case.
The Commission observed that patient’s father, who was also a doctor, made wrong allegations, as it stated the following:
“We have perused the certificate issued by Superintendent of District Hospital, which clearly states that the doctor served as Medical Officer of ICCU for about 16 years at a tertiary care centre. He successfully treated all sorts of cardiac emergencies independently. Since then, he has been regularly keeping himself updated in critical care by faculties from Singapore General Hospital. Therefore, in our view, he was competent for medical management of patient. Mere displaying M.D.(Cal) is no way misleading or unfair. Moreover, his basic qualification is MBBS, thus stating him as a quack was an absurd allegation made by patient’s father who himself is a doctor-ENT specialist. Moreover, there was no Physician available at the time due to Durga Puja vacations”.
“It should be borne in mind that levosulpiride is not a sulpha drug, but it is a pro-kinetic agent frequently combined with proton pump inhibitors. Therefore, in our view the allegation of use of levosulpiride is not sustainable”.
The doctor-father’s allegations were dismissed by the Commission; he perhaps learnt a lesson or two in managing emotions as well as he managed his patients.
Source : Order pronounced by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on 6th February, 2023.