4 hrs ago
Delhi Commission Awards Woman Rs 1 Lakh Over Missing CCTV
A woman’s mother died one day after being admitted to a Delhi hospital.
The woman wanted to see video of what happened in the ward.
The hospital said it had cameras only at the entrance and lobby, not inside the wards.
The commission said asking for the video was reasonable and that the hospital should have preserved and provided it if available.
It ordered the hospital to pay the woman Rs 1 lakh for mental distress.
The commission also thought the patient’s six-page death summary was prepared unusually quickly.
However, it said there was not enough proof that the doctor caused the death through medical negligence.
The hospital said the mother had a cardiac arrest and could not be revived despite CPR.
The ruling focused on transparency and the handling of records, not on proving that the doctor was negligent.
A Delhi consumer commission ordered a hospital to pay Rs 1 lakh for not having CCTV footage in the ward where a patient died.
The commission said requesting footage of the patient’s final moments was reasonable and criticized the hospital’s lack of transparency.
It questioned how a six-page death summary was prepared and signed within six minutes, calling the speed abnormal.
The commission found insufficient evidence and no expert opinion to establish medical negligence by the treating doctor.
The hospital said the patient suffered cardiac arrest, received CPR for about 45 minutes, and died at 6:45 am on May 27, 2023.
- Who
- A Laxmi Nagar woman, her deceased mother Shanta, the hospital, and the treating doctor were involved; the Delhi consumer commission issued the order.
- What
- The commission ordered the hospital to pay Rs 1 lakh for failing to provide or maintain CCTV footage of the ward, but rejected the medical-negligence claim for lack of evidence.
- Where
- A hospital in Delhi; the ward reportedly had no CCTV cameras.
- When
- The patient was admitted on May 26, 2023, died on May 27, 2023, and the commission’s order was dated August 20.
- Why
- The commission found that the absence of relevant CCTV and insufficient transparency amounted to a deficiency in service.
Complainant and Commission
Hospital’s Defence
CCTV and transparency
Complainant and Commission
The complainant sought footage of her mother’s final moments, and the commission said this was a reasonable request. It found that the hospital should have preserved and provided relevant footage and criticized its lack of transparency.
Hospital’s Defence
The hospital said CCTV cameras were installed only at the entrance and lobby, not inside wards, citing patient privacy and well-being.
Circumstances of death
Complainant and Commission
The complainant alleged that the doctor gave her mother an injection, disregarded her request to delay changing clothes, asked her to leave, and informed her of the death shortly afterward.
Hospital’s Defence
The hospital said the patient had highly deranged vital signs, was not responding to fluid resuscitation, suffered cardiac arrest, and could not be revived despite immediate CPR.
Medical negligence
Complainant and Commission
The complainant sought action against the treating doctor, alleging that medical negligence led to her mother’s death.
Hospital’s Defence
The hospital defended the treatment, and the commission declined to find medical negligence because the complainant provided no specific proof or expert medical opinion.
Key facts
- Compensation
- Rs 1 lakh for mental harassment and agony.
- Patient
- Shanta, the complainant’s 74-year-old mother in 2023.
- Admission and death
- Admitted May 26, 2023; died May 27, 2023.
- Hospital’s CCTV coverage
- The hospital said cameras covered the entrance and lobby, but not the wards.
- Commission’s concern
- A six-page death summary was allegedly prepared and signed within six minutes of death.
- Medical-negligence finding
- The claim was not granted because there was no specific proof or medical expert opinion.
- Hospital’s account
- The hospital said the patient suffered cardiac arrest, received about 45 minutes of CPR, and was declared dead at 6:45 am.
Quotes
Delhi consumer commission
Consumer commission that adjudicated the woman’s complaint against the hospital
“Opposite party 1 hospital shall pay Rs 1 lakh to the complainant towards mental harassment and agony on account of not having CCTV provision in the ward where the mother of the complainant was given medical treatment.”
indianexpress.com
“However, it is observed that generally hospitals are shying away from providing the same for the reasons best known to them, raising doubt in the mind of the attendants, which has happened in the present case.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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