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2021 Supreme(Online)(Del) 4358

NATIONAL CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION, NEW DELHI
B.C. Gupta, J
Dr. Arpita Rai – Appellant
Versus
Medanta Hospital – Respondent
Consumer Complaint No. 101 of 2013



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: [None mentioned]
For the Respondents: [None mentioned]

Medical negligence claims require clear proof linking alleged negligence to the resultant harm, as established through case law and accepted medical standards.

Headnote:The judgment pertains to complaints of medical negligence involving alleged failure of doctors to provide informed consent and proper surgical treatment resulting in post-operative complications leading to the patient's death. The court ruled that the treating doctors acted according to medical standards and the patient's underlying medical issues contributed to his condition, thereby dismissing the complaint. The court held that the legal principles surrounding medical negligence require a clear link between the alleged negligence and the resultant harm, which was not established. The complaint was dismissed as unfounded.

Table of Content
1. complaint of medical negligence and procedural concerns raised. (Para 1 , 2 , 4)
2. discussion on patient's condition and treatment effectivity. (Para 3 , 7 , 9)
3. respondents assert adherence to medical standards. (Para 5 , 6)
4. legal standard for medical negligence not met. (Para 8 , 10 , 12 , 15)
5. causation and standard of care in medical malpractice. (Para 18 , 19)
6. conclusion on complaint's validity and dismissal. (Para 20 , 21 , 22)

1. The complaint was filed by Dr. Samir Rai and his wife Dr. Arpita Rai for alleged medical negligence on the part of the OPs. Dr. Samir Rai expired during the pendency of the complaint, it is being further pursued by the surviving complainant.

2. The first complainant Dr. Sameer Rai a renowned Urologist from Amritsar (since deceased herein after referred to as "the patient") was diagnosed to have Aneurysm of the arch of Aorta and on 11.7.2010 referred to New Delhi. On 12.7.2010 he got admitted in Medanta Hospital at Gurgaon (the OP - 1) for replacement of Aortic arch. The CT scan and other investigations were performed on 16.07.2010. It was alleged that the CT contrast material caused severe allegoric reaction and resulted into hoarseness of voice and bout of blood came from throat. The doctors contended that it was due to rupture of Aneurysm. The Complainant alleged that the diagnosis of rupture of the Aneurysm was totally wrong, and the OPs - 2 & 3 have decided to perform urgent surgery on the next day. The doctors did not provide proper information about the nature of disease and choice of surgery to be performed. The consent was not an informed consent, as both the Complainants were surgeons and would have preferred the endoscopic (closed) method of surgery as it was suggested by one Cardiac surgeon Dr. Rakesh Sudan, but the doctors OPs - 2 & 3 performed open surgery. It was alleged that due to unhygienic conditions in the operation theatre the two surgical wounds (one in the groin and one on the chest) became infected and started oozing pus. For its treatment the doctors advised further operations on both the sites, but the patient did not agree and he protested that it was against the established surgical principles.

3. For the infected surgical wound in the right groin, OP - 3 planned the debridement and secondary suturing on 5.8.2010. At 11.30 a.m., the patient was seen by Dr. Shivani, respiratory specialist and advised if possible General Anaesthesia (GA) should be avoided, as the patient was at high risk. The advice was ignored by the treating doctors and asked the patient to sign Consent form for surgery but the patient refused to sign the Consent form. However, the surgery was forcibly done under GA. The patient came out of anaesthesia and he had severe pain in his right thigh and his whole right arm became numb (paralysed).

4. It was further alleged that after four days, OP - 3 performed another operation for the wound on chest at the lower end of sternum. It was done under intravenous sedation and not under GA. The Consent form for the said surgery does not bear the signature of the patient but it merely carries patient's thumb impression. The thumb impression was attested by Dr. Saxena on behalf of the OPs. At the first time Dr. Sumit Singh noted the paralysis of patient's right hand on 10.8.2010 and advised for physiotherapy & re - evaluation; but nothing was done. The patient was discharged from OP - 1 hospital on 16.8.2010; the discharge summary was surprisingly silent about the paralysis of right hand, the patient suffered during treatment. Again on 19.8.2010 the patient was re - admitted to OP - 1 - hospital. Again, the admission record and the clinical findings were silent about the paralysis and it was recorded as 'NONE' for the neurological and musculo - skeletal system. The patient was discharged from OP hospital on 25.8.2010. Thereafter, during next 3½ years the patient underwent 19 surgeries at Amritsar by the surgeon Dr. Jasdeep Singh for healing of



























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