Mrs. Verma, a senior citizen, had fractured the right leg in a trivial accident. She was taken to a reputed hospital where she was diagnosed with comminuted fracture of shaft of right humerus.

It is fashionable these days to sue doctors and hospitals, or so it seems. Why else would patients waste their time and that of the caregivers even though they do not have an iota of substance or evidence to prove their case?

Extra caution has to be exercised before performing an intervention on an old patient that may have a long history of ailments. And the doctor must be prepared to manage any relevant post-operative complications that may arise. Abandoning the patient after performing intervention, whether serious or not, is not permitted by law.

A diagnostic centre was at the receiving end of Consumer Court recently for reporting one foetus instead of two.

Every doctor / hospital is bound to follow statutory guidelines laid down by the relevant authorities. However, it is seen that many doctors and hospitals are failing to abide to simple measures such as mentioning qualifications, registration number, etc. at applicable places, and are held negligent for same.

Operation theatre (OT) sterilization is one of the first protocols laid out for hospitals and nursing homes. And for good reasons. Not marinating impeccable sterilization standards can prove to be fatal for the patient and expensive for the hospital / nursing home as this case demonstrates.

Hospitals / doctors are duty bound to give first aid to accident victims – any deviation from this rule is not accepted. This law also applies to accident victims that may require to be transferred to higher centre for better management.