E-Paper
Zirakpur woman in pain after double knee replacement gets ₹3.2-lakh relief
For the surgery, the doctor got her admitted at Cosmo Hospital, Phase 8, Mohali, on September 2, 2020, and she was discharged on September 7
A Zirakpur resident who developed pain in her left knee after a double knee surgery has been awarded a compensation of ₹3.2 lakh by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-2.
Anu Bala, a resident of VIP Road, Zirakpur, submitted before the commissioner that she had approached Dr Vineet Sharma at his clinic in Sector 47, Chandigarh, on September 1, 2020, for pain in the right knee and a discomfort in the left knee.
The doctor advised her to get both knees replaced that would cost ₹2.7 lakh.
For the surgery, the doctor got her admitted at Cosmo Hospital, Phase 8, Mohali, on September 2, 2020, and she was discharged on September 7.
Bala submitted that despite following all medical advice, she started facing issues in her left knee. Upon visiting the doctor at his clinic, she was told that the operation went fine and the pain will subside through medicines and exercise.
However, she alleged that, the pain was due to an error during the surgery and the doctor didn’t take it seriously.
After visiting other doctors, she was diagnosed with valgus (bone angled out from body) in the left knee and advised to get another surgery.
In his reply, Dr Sharma stated that he was well-qualified and had performed around 3,000 knee replacements. He alleged that the complaint was bad due to non-joinder of the hospital where the surgery took place.
He claimed that the patient was discharged without any complications and she went home walking comfortably. Even through follow-ups till May, 2021, she suffered no pain.
He further alleged that the patient had concealed her X-rays and other test reports that showed that the knees were as per medical standards when she was discharged.
Regarding the valgus reports, he claimed that it was unrelated to the surgery and may be due to rupture of ligament due to stress or local trauma.
He further contended that studies suggested that 15-20% people remained dissatisfied with knee replacement due to various reasons.
However, the commission observed that the doctor failed to perform his duty well, knowing well that the complainant was a patient of rheumatoid arthritis and that he failed to perform his duty that resulted in causing valgus of 10 degree in the left knee.
Observing that the woman will remain crippled for life if not given corrective surgery, the commission directed the doctor to pay ₹3 lakh compensation to the patient for causing mental harassment and ₹20,000 for litigation costs.
