A hospital in West Delhi has been fined Rs 1.5 crore in a case that dates back 15 years. The incident occurred during an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure when the woman received sperm that did not belong to her husband. Disturbed by this negligence, the husband approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to seek justice.
After hearing the plea of the parents, the court ruled that Bhatia Global Hospital and Endosurgery Institute, along with its chairman and director, must collectively pay Rs 1 crore to the family. In addition, they were instructed to deposit an extra Rs 20 lakh into the NCDRC's consumer assistance fund.
Furthermore, three individuals involved in the case, including doctors from the hospital, were ordered to pay Rs 10 lakh each to the complainants. The court set a six-week deadline for the payment, stating that failure to comply would result in an eight percent annual interest penalty.
Additionally, the court has ordered that a sum of around Rs 1.5 crore be put into a fixed bank account for the twins. Each child will receive half of this amount.
In 2008-2009, a woman who underwent IVF, where her eggs were fertilized outside the body, underwent a test to analyze her DNA profile. The results indicated that one of the twins had an AB+ blood group, whereas the blood groups of the parents were B-positive and O-negative. This report proved the negligent handling of the IVF intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
The father demanded compensation of Rs 2 crore from the hospital, highlighting the mental and genetic distress suffered by himself, his children, and his family.
(Input from various media sources.)
(Rehash/HN)