New Delhi: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has ordered a hospital in Thrissur and the doctor there to pay a total compensation of Rs 15 lakh to a couple in Thrissur for failing to detect the deformity in the foetus due to an error in the scanning report.
The commission ordered the hospital in Olari, Thrissur, and the doctor who gave the radiology report to pay Rs. 7.5 lakh each to the couple from Chavakkad, who sought treatment in that hospital. Earlier, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SDRC) had ordered the hospital and the doctor to pay Rs 75,000 each as compensation, which the National Commission has increased now.
In 2006, the couple had a baby boy with a serious deformity. Both were employed in the Arabian Gulf and sought medical care at the Olari hospital due to previous instances miscarriages. In September 2005, after the foetal scanning, the hospital failed to detect any anomalies and assured the couple that everything was normal.
In December, around 26-27 weeks into gestation, the woman underwent a follow-up examination at the same hospital. Based on the ultrasonography report, the doctor reiterated that there was nothing wrong with the baby. However, in March 2006, the couple gave birth to a baby with major deformities, lacking legs below the knee and having no forearm below the elbow on the right hand. Subsequently, the couple initiated legal action in response to these unexpected and severe health issues that the hospital failed to detect.
