For 64-year-old Anju Lata Rana, a simple visit to a diagnostic center turned into a months-long fight for justice. What should have been a simple X-ray report came back filled with errors, costing her both peace of mind and delay in treatment?
What Went Wrong
In April 2018, Anju Lata Rana visited Ajanta Heart Care and Diagnostics in Ghaziabad for an X-ray. But when she received the report, she was stunned to see the errors. Her age was incorrectly listed as 26 instead of 64, and she was marked as male. The referring doctor’s name was wrongly written as Dr. Anurag Singhal instead of Dr. Anil Rathi, and even the date was mentioned as January 1, 2016, instead of April 20, 2018.
Due to these errors, her orthopedic surgeon rejected the report, delaying her treatment.
Breach of Trust
This incident left Anju confused and frustrated. The mistakes in such a basic medical document undermined her confidence in the healthcare system. The error from the diagnostic center made her doubt the reliability of medical documentation.
Trauma Faced by Patient
Beyond the delay in the treatment, Rana faced significant distress while trying to get the errors corrected. She had to fight a long legal battle to seek justice for the physical, mental, and emotional agony she endured.
Legal Relief for the Patient
Rana filed a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in Ghaziabad. After hearing both sides, the president, Praveen Kumar Jain, found Dr. Puja Garg of the diagnostic center guilty of service deficiency. He noted that errors in patient details cannot be dismissed as minor typographical mistakes.
He directed both Dr. Garg and the insurer to pay ₹20,000 each to the patient within 45 days of the judgment, which was passed on May 27. Dr. Garg was covered under a professional indemnity policy by New India Assurance Company, a type of insurance that protects professionals like doctors from financial losses and legal costs arising out of professional negligence.
The ruling highlighted the need for diagnostic centers and doctors to double-check even the smallest details.
Additionally, Dr. Garg was asked to pay ₹20,000 more for litigation costs and the agony caused to the patient.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Pooja Bansal/MSM)