Observing that corporate hospitals and specialists are expected to “perform at a higher level than other hospitals/general practitioners”, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has directed the Indraprastha Apollo hospital and a gynaecologist associated with the hospital to pay Rs 1 crore as compensation to a couple for the disability and eventual death of their daughter due to “substandard care during labour”. The child had suffered birth asphyxia resulting in cerebral palsy due to negligence at the time of her birth in 1999. The parents approached the consumer commission in 2002 with a claim of medical negligence.
The child died while the case was before the commission. Of the Rs 1 crore awarded to the doctor couple, Rs 80 lakh has to be paid by the hospital and the remaining Rs 20 lakh by Dr Sohini Verma, the gynaecologist. The couple had conceived after several…
