New Delhi: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, trying the highest medical negligence compensation case of Rs 77.7 crore, today reserved its order after hearing the arguments of a US-based doctor alleging "gross medical malpractice" which resulted in the untimely demise of his wife.
Complainant Kunal Saha, who was allowed to personally address the Commission, said doctors at AMRI-Apollo Hospital, Kolkata administered an "unscientific overdose of highly toxic steroid" to his wife Anuradha who had acquired Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), an acute skin allergey, on her brief visit to India.
Citing medical experts, Saha, himself a doctor, pleaded that infusion of intravenous (IV) fluid into a TEN patient is a must but "shockingly", that was not done to his wife by the errant doctors.
He said even the vital signs of his wife, who was a psychologist, like blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate were not monitored, making the doctors liable to be sued for negligence.
Later, the Commission Bench presided by Justice M B Shah, Justice K S Gupta and Member Rajya Lakshmi, on the conclusion of the final arguments, reserved its verdict.
Five Kolkata-based doctors, Sukumar Mukherjee, Balram Prasad, Kaushik Nandi, Avani Roy Chaudhary, all of Advanced Medical Research Institute (AMRI)- Apollo Hospital and Vaidyanath Haldhar are being made parties in the case.
Saha, in his written submissions, has said his wife suffered from Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), an acute medical condition in which a large portion of the uppermost layer of the skin peels off as a result of "drug allergy".
He said the doctors "wrongly" administered overdosage of "Depomederol", a highly-toxic steroid which is generally given in chronic cases of asthma and arthritis.
The AMRI-Apollo, where Anuradha Saha remained hospitalised from May 11, to May 16, 1998, failed to maintain the minimal clinical paramaters such as regular checking of blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respiration level, the complainant alleged.
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