Hyderabad: Hyderabad Region Consumer Questions Remedy Commission 1 has ordered Rs 1 million in Secunderabad and three doctors to compensate the family of a 38-year-old woman who died after a hysterectomy in August 2021. The committee is felt by its services for medical negligence and failure to pass the commission.
The committee observed that hospitals and their doctors failed in many ways. They performed major surgery without a mechanical ventilator to support the patient’s surgery.
When the patient develops hypoxia, which is a dangerous condition caused by lack of oxygen, and stops breathing shortly after the operation, the hospital cannot provide direct ventilator support. It also observed that the hospital lacked fully equipped ambulances and there were no ramps or proper lifts to transfer patients to stretchers.
The hospital decided to use a self-assisted respiratory device to move the patient to another hospital in Ameerpet. By the time she arrived at the second hospital, her condition worsened. She was placed on a ventilator in the Second Hospital but died of cardiac arrest the next day.
The deceased’s husband, K. Ravi Kumar, filed a complaint alleging medical negligence. According to the complaint, the doctor immediately told him that his wife had a stroke and did not breathe.
They suggested transfer her to another hospital, which is further away than other super special hospitals. The complainant believes that the surgeon is not a gynecologist and the hospital does not have the infrastructure and equipment required to perform such major operations.
The Consumer Council relies heavily on reports from Regional Medical and Health Officials (DMHOs) and expert opinions from Gandhi Hospital doctors. Expert medical advice confirms that delays in recovery from anesthesia can lead to respiratory failure. However, no neurological causes were found. It was also found that the hospital allowed doctors to perform surgery on doctors not listed in their official records.
The Consumer Forum also adopted the principle of “res ipsa loquitur” and pointed out that the situation clearly pointed out negligence.
The complaint against the Second Hospital was dismissed because no errors were found during treatment. Shortly after the incident, the family also had contacts with the police and the DMHO and later filed a written petition in the Telangana High Court because they felt there was nowhere to go for inquiries. The High Court questioned the unavailability of ventilators and the management of anesthesia, while the Commission noted that there were no records of these inquiries.
Hospital officials were also ordered to pay Rs 50,000 in legal fees and give 45 days of compliance with the order, while the amount of compensation failed to attract 6% interest per year.
