Husband Approaches President For Justice In Medical Negligence Case

A US-based doctor Dr Kunal Saha who fought against the errant medicos in the Indian Medical system by filling the highest-ever case for medical negligence in a consumer court has requested President A P J Abdul Kalam and Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal to order an independent inquiry into possible collusion between the country's highest consumer court and the accused doctors.

Saha's wife Anuradha died in May 1998 in Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital after alleged wrong treatment and negligence by eminent doctors in a Kolkata hospital. He has alleged that the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) was in collusion with the five top Kolkata doctors blamed for the death.

After almost eight years the NCDRC finally dismissed June 1, 2006, the compensation claim of Rs.777 million, an amount that he has calculated based on Anuradha's young age ( she was only 36 at the time of death), loss of future income in the USA (Anuradha was a qualified child psychologist) and punitive damages.
 
A civil appeal against the decision has been filed last week in the Supreme Court.

According to Dr.Saha his case is not important because of the compensation involved but important as it shows a ray of hope to millions of hapless patients and relatives in the country in a similar situation.

For the record, even though Dr Saha says he has spent close to Rs 2 crore preparing the case and gathering expert witnesses, he does not want a single rupee if and when he wins the case. “I have already testified in the court that the entire money will be donated in India and spent for the promotion of health and betterment of Indian children.

Incidentally a number of medical negligence cases go unreported in India mainly due to the lack of faith of people in the long and tiring judicial process. May be Dr. Saha’s case will eventually remove some mental cobwebs and help victims of errant medicos get some justice after all.