Kochi Doctor, Hospital Held Liable for Unnecessary COVID-19 Treatment, Fined ₹5 Lakh

The Malappuram District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered a doctor and a private hospital in Kochi, Kerala, to pay ₹5 lakh in compensation for providing unnecessary COVID-19 treatment to a woman who tested negative in 2021. This verdict came in response to a complaint filed by Soji Reni, a resident of Kakkadampoyil, Malappuram.

As per the complaint, Soji Reni visited the hospital on May 26, 2021, with her husband, seeking treatment for specific health concerns. An antigen test conducted by the hospital returned inconclusive results, prompting an RT-PCR test. Despite the RT-PCR test confirming a negative result for COVID-19, the hospital did not disclose this information to the patient. Instead, she was admitted to the ICU, isolated from her husband and son, and denied her request for transfer to a private room.

It was only on the third day, during a brief meeting with her husband, that she learned of her negative COVID-19 status. Feeling distraught, she decided to discharge herself against medical advice and sought treatment at another hospital, where she was diagnosed with a kidney ailment.

In her complaint, Soji Reni accused the hospital and the doctor of misdiagnosing her kidney condition as COVID-19 and administering medications intended for COVID-19 patients. She claimed these treatments led to severe side effects and caused undue physical and mental distress.

The hospital and the doctor defended their actions by arguing that the patient exhibited symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and that the treatments provided were in line with the established protocols. They denied withholding the test results and maintained that the medicines were prescribed for the patient's benefit.

However, the commission found several faults in their approach. It highlighted that there was no medical justification for administering high-dose COVID-19 medications to a patient who had tested negative for the virus. The panel further emphasized that the hospital failed to inform the patient about her diagnosis, which is a violation of medical ethics and the COVID-19 protocols set by the Medical Council of India.

The commission, chaired by K. Mohandas along with members Preethi Sivaraman and C.V. Mohammed Ismail, concluded that the hospital’s actions caused unnecessary physical and mental trauma to the patient. It ruled that withholding critical information and proceeding with unwarranted treatment breached ethical guidelines and the patient’s rights. In addition to the ₹5 lakh compensation, the hospital and doctor were ordered to pay ₹25,000 as legal expenses.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)