The Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has taken a stern note of the conduct of a resident of Ferozepur district who tried to make “the amputation of his leg a source of income”.
Dharam Singh, a resident of Basti Khalil Wali, claimed compensation for the amputation from three quarters by allegedly forging documents. He filed a case in the Ferozepur Consumer Forum against the orthopaedician at Civil Hospital, Ferozepur City, citing negligence and deficiency of service, and demanded compensation.
He also moved the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal to claim compensation from the insurance company and the owner of a truck, which he claimed had hit him. In addition, he approached the Market Committee, Ferozepur Cantonment, with the claim that his leg was amputated while he was cutting green fodder in the machine and bagged Rs 30,000.
In the case filed with the consumer forum, Dharam demanded that he must be given compensation by Dr Jagbir Singh Sandhu, the orthopaedician, and the Punjab Health Systems Corporation. Here, he had claimed that he was injured after being hit by a rashly-driven tractor.
Dharam alleged that Dr Sandhu did not attend to him, on which he was “compelled to leave the civil hospital”. Later, his leg had to be amputated “due to the medical negligence”. In his reply,
Dr Sandhu told the court that Dharam’s medical history during his stay at the hospital “had been tampered with by the patient in connivance with some other people”. The words, “Consult Dr Sandhu” had been added later to implicate him in a case of medical negligence, said the doctor.
He added that he did not refer the patient to the charitable hospital at Amritsar, as alleged by him. Denying charges of medical negligence, Dr Sandhu said Dharam Singh was a chronic patient of diabetes and was also suffering from kidney dysfunction, which could have been the cause of blister formation on his leg, because of which the leg had to be eventually amputated.
The forum, however, awarded Dharam a compensation of Rs 2 lakh, to be paid by Dr Sandhu and the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, besides Rs 50,000 as reimbursement of his medical expenses and Rs 2,000 as costs.
Dr Sandhu appealed against the order in the Punjab Consumer Commission, bringing to its notice facts of Dharam Singh’s varying statements.
Commission President Justice S N Aggarwal and members Lt Col Darshan Singh and Amarpreet Sharma observed that Dharam Singh had been lying for getting compensation from three quarters, and the case called for imposition of heavy costs. But since Dharam Singh’s leg had been amputated, he deserved sympathy, said the commission, which did not impose any costs on him.
source: Indian Express