Madras HC directs TN govt to pay compensation to youngster suffering from mistreatment by government hospital

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the State to consider the plea of a 22-year-old youngster seeking employment for facing medical trauma due to the mistreatment at a government hospital.

The narration of events reveals that the tertiary care system in the State is undoubtedly responsible for the medical trauma that the victim was put through, wrote Justice Anita Sumanth while disposing of the petition.

As a measure of compensation, the judge directed the State to pay Rs 2 lakh to the victim within six weeks.

To secure the future of the victim, the judge directed the victim to furnish the details of his qualifications and employment registration to the Salem collector along with an application for appropriate employment.

Further, the court directed the collector to consider the application of the victim and recruit him to a suitable post, based on his educational qualification.

Petitioner Sasikala, the mother of the victim moved the petition in HC seeking to direct the State to pay reasonable compensation and take action against the doctor responsible for the mistreatment.

According to the petitioner, the victim Vishnu was admitted to the Mettur government hospital on October 27, 2016, for his stomach pain.

The victim was attended by doctor Ramesh, and without getting consent from the petitioner the doctor performed a surgery, said the petitioner.

Post-surgery the victim was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), where the victim had bleeding in his stools and complained of constant pain, said the petitioner.

Since the victim suffered continuous heavy pain, a scan was taken in a private hospital which revealed the formation of pus in the stomach and thus he was admitted to Salem Mohan Kumaramangalam Government Hospital.

Laparoscopic surgery was performed to the victim and based on the advice of the doctors, the victim was shifted to a private hospital in Erode for another surgery, said the petitioner.

When the victim was admitted to the private hospital the petitioner approached doctor Ramesh for a discharge summary as well as other treatment particulars, but the same was not supplied and instead, the petitioner was threatened with dire consequences, said the petitioner.

Hence, the petitioner lodged a complaint in the Chief Minister's cell against doctor Ramesh. Despite the complaint being registered, no action has been taken, said the petitioner, hence she moved the HC.