A gynaecologist was saved by the law from a new mother’s misgivings. Gudiya was admitted to Geeta Hospital and was under the care of Dr. Mathur for delivery. The doctor performed C-section, a healthy girl was delivered and the patient was discharged within a few days.
Few days after the discharge, the patient developed pelvic hematoma and was admitted to another hospital. She finally got cured, but had enough time to make her mind up about the cause of ailment. Believing that the doctor’s negligent treatment during and after C-section caused pelvic hematoma, Gudiya approached the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Uttar Pradesh and claimed compensation.
Being a seasoned gynaecologist, the doctor was not bullied by the patient’s indifference. It was stated that the patient was mishandled by a Dai and was brought to the hospital in a serious condition. There was a risk of life to both – the mother and the child – and it was her quick thinking and response to the situation that eventually got the patient out of danger and a healthy baby girl was delivered. In her concluding statement, the doctor stated that pelvic hematoma was a well-known complication of C-section and she cannot be held responsible for it.
The Commission had quickly come to a just conclusion. It was observed that the gynaecologist was an experienced doctor and pelvic hematoma was indeed a known complication. Moreover, the patient neither presented any facts to prove the doctor’s negligence nor brought in an expert’s opinion to substantiate her claims. Merely because she had to take further treatment did not prove that the doctor or the hospital were negligent.
With ill-informed patients like Gudiya, the Commissions are becoming coaching classes for the uninitiated, or so it seems.
Source: Order pronounced by State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Uttar Pradesh on 2nd May, 2017.