Burdwan: Bidhan Chandra Roy Memorial Hospital asked to pay Rs 3 lakh compensation to patient
Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Wednesday directed the Bidhan Chandra Roy Memorial Hospital in Burdwan to pay Rs 3 lakh as compensation to a patient who had fallen victim to negligence on the part of the hospital.
During the hearing the WBCERC came to know that one Bikash Majumdar admitted his elderly father, a diabetic patient to the hospital with a rash and sore on his leg. The patient was admitted to the hospital under a plastic surgeon for skin grafting. The entire procedure could not be carried out in one operation. The patient was discharged after the first operation. Six days after the patient was again brought to the same hospital for the second surgery. The first day of operation was uneventful but on the second day the doctors felt the need of drilling as the patient’s bone was exposed. A part of the drilling bit stuck in the bone which was not removed and the patient was discharged.
The hospital authorities during the hearing claimed that counselling was carried out on the patient during the release; it was told that a curative surgery would be conducted to remove the bit. The WBCERC, however, did not find any mention of the hospital’s claim in the discharge summary of the patient. Thus, the WBCERC found negligence on the part of the hospital. As any doctors’ related issues do not fall under the purview of the commission, it only fixed accountability on the hospital. The WBCERC chairman Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee said the hospital cannot shrug off responsibilities. The WBCERC has asked the hospital to compensate the victim who had to go to a government hospital in Kalna to remove the foreign element from the body. The patient had also undergone pains for around eight months when the drilling bit was inside his body.
“As the hospital was a medium-scale hospital, they were given a facility of paying the amount in 4 installments. If they fail to pay any installment, the remaining amount would have to be paid with 7 per cent interest,” said Banerjee.
