The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) to pay Rs 1 crore to a software professional whom its doctor had rendered incapitated nearly two decades ago.
This is the highest compensation awarded for medical negligence in the country.
The software engineer, Mr Prashant S. Dhananka of Bengaluru, was operated for a tumour in his left chest by a cardiac surgeon, Dr P.V. Satyanarayana, at Nims in September 1990.
Though Mr Dhananka was admitted for diagnostic surgery, Dr Satyanarayana performed a curative surg-ery without his consent. Following the surgery, he became a paraplegic, suffering paralysis and other serious complications.
Mr Dhananka was 20 years old at that time. After the surgery, he was incapable of performing his personal chores necessitating a constant attendant.
Mr Dhananka sued the hospital for medical negligence, and the National Co-nsumer Disputes Redressal Commission awarded him Rs 15.5 lakh against his demand for Rs 7.57 crore.
He then moved the court, and argued his own case. He told the court that he has been rendered incapacitated and had lost his dream of a happy married life. His colleagues are well settled abroad drawing hefty pay packs compared to his nominal pay scales due to his physical disability. The hospital denied negligence.
On Thursday, the Supre-me Court awarded Mr Dhananka the largest-ever compensation for medical negligence.“We must record that though a sense of deep injury was discernible through his protracted struggle while confined to a wheel chair, he remained unruffled and behaved with quiet dignity, pleading his own case bereft of any rancour or invective for those who in his perception had harmed him,” said the apex court bench of Justices B.N. Agrawal, G.S. Singhwi and H.S. Bedi.
Mr Dhananka stays in Bengaluru and works in an IT firm. He could not be contacted.
Asked about the judgment, Nims officials said Dr Satyanarayana had left the hospital in 1993 and the hospital could not be blamed for his negligence.
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