In yet another case of apparent negligence, a dentist was held guilty and was ordered to compensate the patient with more than thirty thousand rupees.

The patient had approached Dr. Mukherjee with dental problems. 

For an ailment as serious as AIDS, cross checking the findings and perhaps even double checking the reports is a prudent thing to do before declaring a person positive for HIV. Wrong reporting in such a case not only affects the patient but also can tarnish healthcare provider’s image.

Laura Robinson had severe sudden onset upper back pain, so she went to the hospital. The hospital ran a test and sent her home. A week later, she was back, but again, they sent her home. She died the next day.

Prabhakar’s mother suffered severe breathing problems and hence he admitted her to Balram Seva Mandir State General Hospital under the care of Dr. Kharbanda. The patient had to be transferred to SSKM hospital where she unfortunately breathed her last.

In the interest of patients and following due diligence, healthcare providers must inform patients or their relatives well in advance about the unavailability of doctors during or after a procedure and / or treatment. Courts usually draw adverse inference when this is not done, as this case demonstrates.

The Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Christian Medical College (CMC), Ludhiana, to pay a compensation of Rs 40 lakh along with 9 per cent interest to a resident of Mandi Gobindgarh for unprofessionally destroying the bone marrow of his 7-year-old daughter before her donor gave his marrow for transplant. The girl later died.

Mrs. Biswas had an unfortunate fall from the bus which injured her left wrist. She approached Dr. Saha who plastered the wrist and prescribed medicines. This did little to relieve her of the pain and hence, she approached the doctor again who changed the medicines and advised some exercises.

Sayan Mondal had taken his three-and-half-year-old son to Dr. Ramana who diagnosed that the young boy’s left testis was undescended and located at deep ring. The doctor performed laparoscopic Orchiopexy.

It is ideal to arrive at a provisional diagnosis before starting any treatment. It is one of the basic most aspects of medicine which most doctors follow prudently. However, this case demonstrates that the courts do not take lightly when this is not followed diligently.