NCDRC directs Safdarjung Hospital to pay ₹25L to wife of deceased patient

In a recent verdict, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) directed Safdarjung Hospital to compensate the wife of a deceased patient with over ₹25 lakh. The decision came in response to a “totally wrong and illegal line of medical treatment” administered by the hospital, resulting in the patients demise in 2017.

The patient was admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with a lower respiratory tract infection, leaking heart valves, and left ventricular failure. According to an order issued on April 12, the hospital failed to follow standard medical protocol by not administering an “essential” injection called Nirmin, commonly used to treat heart failures. Instead, the patient received an alternative Albumin injection, the efficacy of which was questioned by the commission.

The state consumer commission had earlier granted Asha Goyal, the deceaseds wife, ₹25 lakh in compensation, highlighting the absence of Nirmin in an established hospital like Safdarjung. Goyal also raised concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the injection administered to her husband.

In response to the state commissions order, Safdarjung Hospital challenged the decision, arguing that there was no evidence to suggest that the treatment provided deviated from medical protocol. The hospital defended its actions by citing the severity of the patients condition and the challenges associated with his prognosis.

However, the NCDRC ruled in favor of the complainant, emphasizing the absence of conclusive evidence supporting the hospitals medical approach. The commission also noted the hospitals failure to provide records substantiating the patients medical condition. eMediNexus