The Yavatmal district Consumers' Grievances redressal Forum here directed a local paediatrician to pay a fine of Rs 18.62 lakh to parents of one and half-year-old girl, who lost her eye-sight due to negligence of the doctor.
The forum headed by Milind Pawar and members Dr Ashok Somawansihi and Ashlesha Dighade yesterday ordered paediatrician Dr Sanjeev Joshi to pay Rs 18.62 lakh to the complainant within a period of 30 days.
The forum has ordered the insurance company- Oriental Insurance Company, to which Joshi's hospital is insured to, will have to pay Rs 5 lakh to the complainant, while the remaining amount should be paid by Joshi.
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According to father of the girl Bhoomika, Sujit Rai, Bhoomika was born prematurely on October 31, 2011 at a local hospital and on that very night she was shifted to Dr Sanjeev Joshi's child care hospital.
The new born was kept at the hospital for 23 days and she was discharged.
However, within a few days of her discharge, parents noticed redness in child's eyes and consulted other eye specialists in the city, who could not save her eye-sight and referred the case to other places.
The parents then took the child to specialists in Hyderabad and later in Chennai, where doctors after examining the child told she was brought to them at a very late stage and she could not be operated upon.
Later, a police complaint was lodged by the parents against Joshi and subsequently, he was arrested.
Meanwhile, Rai also registered a complaint before the district consumer dispute redressal forum against Joshi.
Joshi, challenging the case, approached the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and had also filed a revision petition before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
A two-member panel at the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, comprising justice J M Malik and justice Dr S M Kantikar ordered the Yavatmal district consumer forum to hear the case on a day to day basis and deliver the judgement immediately without any further delay on any ground.
"It was a legal battle between the rich and the poor and I am happy my daughter has finally got justice," Rai told reporters last evening.
