The observations came while disposing of an appeal against an NCDRC order.

The NCDRC had upheld the State Commission's order but increased the lumpsum compensation from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh. The State consumer fora had reduced the compensation amount from ₹5 lakh to ₹1 lakh.

By way of background, the appellant-patient had an appendicitis removal surgery at Suket Hospital in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi in June 2005.

The surgery failed and the patient continued to suffer pain for four years after the procedure despite assurances by doctors.

Eventually, a Chandigarh hospital found that a needle had been stuck in her stomach during the earlier surgery.

Aggrieved, she sought ₹19.8 lakh as compensation.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum at Mandi ordered Suket hospital to pay her a compensation of ₹5 lakh.

The hospital appealed against the same and the State Commission reduced the compensation amount to ₹1 lakh.

The NCDRD then enhanced the compensation to ₹2 lakh.

The claimant then moved the apex court in appeal.

The top court at the outset said it cannot agree with the orders of two fora below as regards the compensation amount.

"We find the manner in which compensation stood reduced by the State Commission as also the NCDRC, vis-à-vis the District Forum to be based on questionable reasoning ... The State Commission ... found it appropriate to reduce the compensation to a mere Rs.1 lakh. This clearly is not in line with the balance of interests required to be borne in mind while determining compensation."

Further, none of the fora had found the claimant to have any pre-existing condition that could explain the pain and damage caused by the 2005 surgery.

The Supreme Court, thus, ruled in the appellant's favour and enhanced the compensation to ₹5 lakh.

"A sum of Rs.5 lakhs ought to be paid expeditiously by the respondents to the appellant for being medically negligent and providing services deficient in nature," the Court ordered.

Sr. Adv. KM Nataraj appointed Additional Solicitor General in Supreme Court

Related Stories