A patient with acute ischemic stroke was taken to a private hospital in Hyderabad in 2013, but the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission found that delays in evaluation and treatment resulted in the loss of the critical treatment window. The Commission held the private hospital liable for medical negligence and awarded a total compensation of Rs 43.36 lakh, along with legal costs. Case background In 2013, the patient developed sudden slurred speech and other symptoms suggestive of an acute brain stroke and was taken to the first branch of a private hospital in Secunderabad.

According to the patient’s side, although he arrived during the afternoon, there was a delay in obtaining a CT scan and other investigations. The evaluation eventually showed an acute ischemic stroke after intracranial hemorrhage was ruled out. As a neurologist was reportedly unavailable at the first branch,…