The district’s consumer dispute redressal commission, Central Mumbai, has held a Vapi-based Urmil Eye Hospital And Skin Cosmetic Laser Center guilty of medical negligence which resulted in the amputation of the petitioner's thumb. The commission asked the centre and its two doctors to return the entire medical expense of Rs 4.64 lakh along with a 9% interest rate from 2015. They have been also directed to pay Rs3 lakh towards the complainant’s mental agony along with Rs15,000 as litigation charges.
Prabhakar Jangam, a teacher at a Zilla Parishad school in Dahanu, was suffering from Vitiligo. According to the complainant, he is diabetic and had clearly informed the doctors about it. They told him that he would need to undergo platelet rich plasma procedure. Jangam was supposed to be injected with medicines followed by a laser treatment. The injecting step would be repeated, but this time he would be infused with his own treated blood. The last step was application of cream, oil and ointment.
Jangam alleged that despite knowing his diabetic condition, the doctors didn't make him aware of the potential risks involved. He asserted that he developed a wound due to the syringe, which turned into gangrene due to medical negligence. The infected part had to be amputated. The medical centre, however, denied the allegations, saying that the wound was not the result of an unsterilised needle. The authorities said that they took utmost care in treating the patient, given his diabetic condition.
The commission, after going through the arguments, held that the entire case can be relied on the principle of ‘res ipsa loquitur’, which means ‘things speaks for itself’.
