CHANDIGARH, Sept. 27 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Healing Hospital and Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Sector 34, to pay ₹50 lakh compensation to a 45-year-old Mohali woman who developed gangrene and lost her hand after being admitted with a gastrointestinal problem. The hospital has also been directed to bear an additional ₹28 lakh for her to receive a prosthetic bionic hand.
Gurmeet Kaur of Sector 69, Mohali, was admitted on Nov. 25, 2020, with complaints of headache, vomiting, stomach ache and backache. She was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal issue, and a cannula was inserted in her left hand for intravenous medication. Three days later, swelling and pain developed in the hand, but doctors allegedly dismissed it as a routine side effect.
By the evening of Nov. 28, the pain had intensified, and the hand had turned blue and numb. She was rushed to the operation theatre, where doctors informed the family that gangrene had set in and urgent surgery was required. However, the procedure was allegedly abandoned midway, and Kaur was referred to PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Her family objected to the referral, arguing that the hospital left her with an open wound, without stitches or proper dressing, and transferred her to PGIMER in an ambulance. At PGIMER, doctors removed her fingernails and amputated four fingers. Eventually, her permanent disability was assessed at 85 percent by the Medical Authority, SAS Nagar.
Kaur, who is left-handed, told the commission that she can no longer perform basic tasks. “I became dependent on my family and house help for even simple work. I cannot write or manage banking and documentation due to the permanent loss of my fingers,” she said in her statement.
In its defense, the hospital argued that there was no negligence. “All steps were taken promptly and as per medical protocols,” the hospital said in its reply, adding that the complainant was informed of the risk of gangrene and had signed a consent form. It claimed the complaint was filed to “malign and blackmail” the institution.
The commission, however, found lapses in care. It observed that the failure to remove the cannula despite swelling and pain led to compartment syndrome and the onset of gangrene. “As the patient had no problem in her hand at the time of admission, the worsening of her condition under the hospital’s care points to medical negligence,” the order stated.
The commission further noted that the hospital’s decision not to charge for the ambulance or remaining bills amounted to “an implied admission of fault.” It also recognized the severe physical and mental trauma caused by the disability, stressing the impact on her life as a homemaker and left-handed individual.
On the complainant’s counsel producing a quotation of ₹28.26 lakh for an I-Digit Access Bionic Hand, the commission ruled that the cost must be borne by the hospital in addition to the ₹50 lakh compensation.
