A young lad, perhaps around ten – fifteen years old, was bitten by a Cobra. He was rushed to a hospital by his family, but unfortunately succumbed to highly toxic and poisonous venom that the deadly snake is known for.
The grieving parents sued the hospital and alleged negligence on their part in giving delayed and improper treatment.
The Commission perused medical records and were perhaps startled at the findings. It was observed that the hospital did not even put the boy on ventilator. An established hospital that does not have a ventilator in 21st century was unbelievable, but even more appalling was the fact that they accepted the patient, instead of referring him to some other centre. But these were not the only mistakes.
The Commission also observed that the boy was admitted at 7 PM but the anti-snake venom was administered at around 7:40 PM.
Delay in treating a serious patient and admitting him despite lacking in infrastructure were the two grounds on which the hospital was held negligent.
Source: Order pronounced by State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Maharashtra on 16th March, 2020.