Mumbai: Observing that right to emergency medical care is a part of right to life under the Constitution and that hospitals and doctors are duty-bound to provide life-saving treatment immediately, regardless of consent, the state consumer commission recently directed Wockhardt Hospitals, Nashik, to pay Rs 34 lakh in compensation to the father of a young man who died after it failed to admit him to the ICU in a timely manner in 2010.The patient, Ravindra Naidu, who had a complicated medical history, died a day after he was admitted for a nosebleed. Despite suffering a fall in the bathroom and complaining of chest pain and uneasiness, he was not shifted to the ICU. The hospital claimed the father had refused ICU admission but failed to provide documentary proof of that. "A relative's consent is generally not legally required for admitting a patient to ICU. If the patient is critically ill and needs emergency care, the hospital and doctors can admit the patient to ICU under the doctrine of implied consent," the panel said. The appeal before the commission, filed by the patient's father, Vijay Dashrath Naidu, challenged an order by the Nashik district forum that dismissed his complaint of medical negligence. While the commission overturned the forum's order and held the hospital to be negligent, it noted that the treating doctors appeared to have acted with their utmost qualification and skill.Ravindra was admitted to the hospital late on April 15, 2010, after a nosebleed. He had a complex medical history, including being a chronic smoker and occasional alcohol user, and had been diagnosed with hypertension (he stopped medication on his own around 10 days prior to admission). According to the complaint, Ravindra's condition deteriorated significantly around 3am when he complained of chest pain and uneasiness after falling while going to the bathroom. It alleged that doctors did not immediately provide proper treatment, nor was he admitted to the ICU until 7am. The father said from 7am-11 am, the hospital did not inform relatives about his condition or allow them to meet him. He believed his son died around 8.30am on April 16, but treatment was unnecessarily continued till 12.30pm to create false evidence. The patient was declared dead later in the day.The hospital and its doctors claimed all protocols were followed. They said Ravindra's death resulted from pre-existing medical conditions and his unilateral decision to stop prescribed anti-hypertensive medication, which directly led to accelerated hypertension and a fatal heart attack. The hospital said ICU admission was advised upon admission but refused by the patient and his relatives, which was recorded in the ICU register. They said all experts concluded that the patient's death was due to cardiovascular complications from accelerated hypertension.