PGI to pay Rs 17 lakh relief to parents

Holding the PGIMER negligent in treating a 16-year-old accident victim leading to her death, the national consumer disputes redressal commission, New Delhi, on Thursday directed the PGIMER to pay `17 lakh as compensation to parents of Anupama Sarkar, who had died in July 2012.

CHANDIGARH: Holding the PGIMER negligent in treating a 16-year-old accident victim leading to her death, the national consumer disputes redressal commission, New Delhi, on Thursday directed the PGIMER to pay `17 lakh as compensation to parents of Anupama Sarkar, who had died in July 2012.

Accepting the plea, seeking relief enhancement moved by Anupama’s father Amit Sarkar, the panel enhanced the amount by `10 lakh in addition to the `7 lakh ordered to be paid by the PGI by the state consumer disputes redressal commission, Chandigarh, in April 1, 2013.

The state commission, holding PGIMER guilty of “negligence in treatment” of Anupama, had also directed Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) to pay `3 lakh, holding it “deficient in services” since the girl’s leg was crushed under a CTU bus on July 17, 2012.

A bench presided over by Justice VB Gupta held, “We feel the relief awarded by state panel is inadequate in circumstances where the parents’ only child had died at the hands of negligent PGI doctors.” “PGI had preferred an appeal which was dismissed by the national commission and plea of parents seeking enhancement of relief was allowed,” bench said. PGI’S SUBMISSIONS.

CTU ALLOWED BUS TO PLY WITHOUT INSURANCE

The state panel had held CTU guilty of deficiency in services as the bus involved in the mishap had no insurance and was plied in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. After the accident, a criminal case was registered, but as parents did not pursue the case, the proceedings were dropped. PROBE PANEL REPORT HELPED NAIL PGI .

Following the death, the PGI had marked a probe by external experts and the committee had found that the incident happened due to “systemic flaws”.