The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has awarded Rs 2 crore in compensation to the family of a 56-year-old woman who died after doctors allegedly removed the wrong kidney during a surgery in 2012.
A bench comprising retired Justice A. P. Sahi and member Bharatkumar Pandya was hearing a complaint filed by the woman’s family. The family alleged that although the patient had been diagnosed with hydronephrosis in her right kidney, surgeons mistakenly removed her left kidney during the procedure, Indian Express reported.
In its May 18 order, the consumer commission described the incident as one of the gravest forms of medical negligence rarely seen in judicial proceedings. The bench observed that the loss suffered by the family was irreparable, noting that the woman’s death meant the loss of a mother to her children, a spouse to her husband and a homemaker to the family.
The commission further stated that the alleged negligence of Dr Rajeev Lochan of Ashirwad Nursing Home deserved substantial compensation. It added that the woman might have lived longer had her healthy left kidney not been removed.
Advocate Sudarshan Rajan, appearing for the complainants, argued before the commission that the case clearly demonstrated not only negligence but also unethical conduct on the part of the doctor, with the reasons behind the surgery remaining unexplained.