The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission–I, Hyderabad, has held a private hospital, its founder-chairman and a consultant doctor guilty of medical negligence during a surgical procedure that caused life-threatening complications to a patient in 2022.
The commission directed them to pay complainant G Shiva Rama Krishna, a 49-year-old businessman from Alwal, Rs 5.66 lakh towards medical expenses, Rs 1 lakh as compensation for mental agony, and Rs 50,000 towards legal costs within 45 days, failing which the amount will attract 9% annual interest.
Krishna had approached the hospital in April 2022 with gastric complaints and was diagnosed with a colonic polyp. A colonoscopy and polypectomy under general anaesthesia were performed on May 19, 2022, by another surgeon without his consent. He was discharged the same evening.
Within 24 hours, he developed severe abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. He was later diagnosed with caecal perforation and peritonitis and underwent emergency surgery at another hospital, followed by a second corrective operation in August 2022.
Krishna alleged that negligence by the first hospital caused immense pain, financial loss and disruption to his family life. The hospital denied the charge, claiming colon perforation is a known risk of polypectomy and that informed consent had been obtained.
After examining the records, the commission found that crucial operative notes were missing and that no evidence of standard precautions or adequate post-operative monitoring was produced. It observed that the patient was discharged just three hours after surgery without confirming the absence of complications, and held the hospital liable.