It is usually a tendency to blame the treating doctor or hospital when desired outcome of the treatment is not received. The pitch of the blame gets even higher in an unfortunate event of patient’s death.
Master Kundu was diagnosed with the life-threatening Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). He was admitted at Kothari Nursing Centre and was under the care of Dr. Tapadia. During the treatment, a nurse collected patient’s blood after which he developed gangrene at the spot the blood was collected from his hand. A skin grafting plastic surgery was performed to manage gangrene but Master Kundu’s condition kept deteriorating. Despite the best possible care and treatment and even after taking Chemotherapy for six months to manage ALL, Master Kundu could not be saved.
It is a loss like no other for any parent. And like most parents, the patient’s father too could not contain his loss and approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, believing that the negligence of the treating doctors caused his son’s death. It was alleged that the nurse who collected the blood was not properly trained to look after a critical patient. It was further alleged that the patient’s condition improved while he was on Chemotherapy. But his condition started deteriorating fatally after development of gangrene, which occurred due to improper way of collecting blood. The doctors and the hospital ought to have taken proper care, and because of their negligence the young patient could not be saved, claimed the mourning father.
The Commission understood the father’s pain and had sympathy for his loss. But the fact of the young man’s death was quite different from the claims. At the outset, it was observed that the patient was treated as per protocol – blood transfusion was done regularly and so was Chemotherapy. He was under constant supervision of the doctors and hospital staff. Citing medical records, it was further observed that Chemotherapy resulted into immune-suppression and that was the actual cause of non-healing of the ulcer which had then turned into gangrene. The grafting surgery or gangrene was not the cause for his death, but the fatal ALL was, finally observed the Commission and held that the doctors and hospital were not guilty of negligence.
Hopefully, the father was at peace knowing the real cause of his beloved son’s death.
Source: pronounced by National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi