Kolkata’s Apollo Gleneagles hospital fined Rs30 lakh over child’s death

Kolkata: The newly formed West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC)on Friday imposed a fine of Rs30 lakh on Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals after finding the Kolkata unit of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd and some of its doctors guilty of medical negligence in a case involving the death of a four-month old girl.

“Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals is guilty of mismanagement and misrepresentation of facts and deficiency in services,” the Commission said in its order and awarded a compensation of Rs30 lakh to the family of child who died in April.

The commission also said three doctors were found to be “negligent” in discharging their duties.

Rana Dasgupta, chief executive of Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, said the order will be challenged in the appropriate forum.

“We respect the commission. However, we find the verdict unacceptable and will appeal against it. Over scrutiny into such complicated decisions taken by doctors trying to save lives will dampen the true spirit of the medical profession,” Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals said in a statement.

The commission ordered Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals to pay Rs10 lakh within a month, and the balance within two months. It also asked the West Bengal Medical Council to take “necessary and appropriate action” against the three doctors under the provisions of the West Bengal Clinical Establishments Act.

A day after the child died, Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals formed a team to conduct an internal inquiry. The committee not only failed to “impartially evaluate the case”, it even had a member whose credentials were exaggerated, the order said, and called the “misrepresentation of facts” “extremely unethical”.