Hospital asked to pay ₹1 cr. to family of UoH scholar who died due to alleged medical negligence
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Hyderabad has ordered a hospital and a neurologist to pay ₹1 crore in compensation for medical negligence. The case involved a 30-year-old Ph.D. scholar who died in 2020 after being misdiagnosed with COVID-19.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a significant legal precedent for consumer protection in the Indian healthcare sector, marking one of the largest compensation amounts ever awarded by a district forum.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Hyderabad, has directed the Citizens Speciality Hospital, Nallagandla, and its consultant neurologist Aparna Vijay Kumar to pay ₹1 crore in compensation to the parents of Surya Pratap Bharati, a 30-year-old Ph.D scholar at the University of Hyderabad who died in 2020.
A first-generation scholar from a financially disadvantaged family in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, Surya suffered a brain stroke on August 17, 2020, and was admitted to Citizens Hospital.
According to the complaint, the hospital reported him as COVID-19 positive and advised his transfer to a dedicated COVID facility. He was subsequently shifted to Continental Hospital on August 19, where tests reportedly found him negative for COVID-19. He was declared brain dead and died on August 21. The case was taken up pro bono after his friends approached advocate Rajasri Manche.
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