Woman left paralysed after treatment; hospital, doctors told to pay Rs 15 lakh

NEW DELHI: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), in an order dated August 4, held a Ludhiana hospital and two doctors responsible for deficiency in service after a 36-year-old woman developed paralysis of her lower limbs following treatment for leakage of fluid from her nose. The commission directed them to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation.How did the medical negligence dispute arise?According to the commission's order, Kiran Bala was leading a healthy life when she developed unusual leakage of fluid from her nose in September 2011. She was taken to Satguru Pratap Singh Apollo Hospitals in Ludhiana, where she was diagnosed with CSF rhinorrhoea, a condition involving leakage of cerebrospinal fluid through the nose.She was admitted to the hospital on September 20, 2011, and underwent endoscopic surgery to repair the leak. The surgery was initially successful, but the leakage returned the next day.