Mohali, Chandigarh, September, 2025 - In a landmark decision on medical negligence, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh has ordered Healing Hospital and Institute of Paramedical Sciences in Mohali to compensate 45-year-old Gurmeet Kaur with ₹50 lakh in relief and an additional ₹28 lakh for a bionic prosthetic hand.
The case dates back to November 25, 2020, when Kaur, a resident of Sector 69, Mohali, was admitted to the hospital with headache, vomiting, stomach pain, and backache. Doctors diagnosed her with a gastrointestinal problem and inserted a cannula into her left hand to administer intravenous medication.
Initially, her symptoms improved slightly, but swelling and pain soon developed in the hand. Hospital staff dismissed the issue as temporary, assuring Kaur it would resolve naturally. By November 28, however, her hand had turned blue and numb, indicating a serious complication.
The hospital planned emergency surgery but could not complete it and referred Kaur to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. Upon arrival at PGIMER, doctors amputated four fingers and performed additional procedures to save the remaining hand.
As a left-handed homemaker, Kaur has faced severe physical limitations and emotional distress, profoundly affecting her daily life.
The Chandigarh consumer court ruled that the hospital was negligent in failing to promptly remove the cannula despite visible swelling. The court noted that Kaur entered the hospital without hand-related issues, placing the onus on the hospital to demonstrate otherwise, a challenge they could not meet.
Judges highlighted the impact on her quality of life and ordered the hospital to cover the cost of an I-Digit Access Bionic Hand, priced at approximately ₹28 lakh, to help restore some functionality.
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(Rh/Eth/VK)