Bengaluru: This is an incident that reveals how hospitals, even high-end facilities in the city, treat their patients. A patient, who underwent a knee-replacement procedure, has successfully sued Sagar Hospital in Jayanagar for poor service and won a compensation of Rs 25,000 and another RS 5,000 towards litigation charges.
The patient, Mr Mohinder Singh, a resident of Kumara Krupat West, filed a case before the second additional district consumer disputes redressal forum, complaining that he was treated unprofessionally by the hospital staff, and the service provided was substandard. Mr Singh complained that he fell from his wheelchair while being shifted from the ICU to his ward, because of the negligence of the hospital staff. He was also made to wait for one-and-a-half hours in the corridor as the room was not ready for occupation yet.
Mr Singh argued that there was no hurry for the hospital staff to rush him out of the ICU, where he was admitted for two days, when the room was not yet ready. To make matters worse, in his ward, Mr Singh found that the air-conditioner had been set to very cold temperature and he could not increase it as the thermostat had broken. Also, the door fixture had blown making a screeching noise every time someone opened the door, which disturbed his peace. The bed he was made to sleep on was very old and gave cracking noises.
The housekeeping staff refused to rectify the problems, though he rang the bell several times, he stated in his complaint. The consumer forum, which heard his plea, directed the Hospital to pay the compensation and litigation charges. Mr Singh also complained to the consumer forum that though he had opted for a package offered by the hospital, it demanded extra money.
An activist, Mr Rajesh Karanth, said this case will help patients and force hospitals to treat them with respect. “A few hospitals charge patients large sums, in the name of offering quality service. Henceforth, if any patient feels that he or she was not treated properly, can approach the consumer forum,” he added.
