File report on treatment of Mariam Kousar, HC tells govt

The High Court on Monday directed the State government to file a detailed report on the steps taken for treatment of Mariam Kousar, a victim of alleged medical negligence in December 2013. 

Hearing a petition by Latha Rao, a resident of Bangalore, a division bench of Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri directed the government to submit details of the action taken against the erring doctors in the case. The court also directed the registry to provide legal aid to the parents of Kousar and make them a party to the petition. 

The government submitted that it had suspended some of the doctors in connection with the incident and released Rs eight lakh for the child’s treatment. 

Kousar, who was admitted to the State-run Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics, was given an overdose of anaesthesia by the doctors treating her and as a result she slipped into coma. 

The petitioner contended that this was a proven case of medical negligence as the health department had terminated two doctors and suspended two others following an inquiry. 

Poor family

Pointing out that the action taken by the department was an admission of medical negligence on the part of doctors, the petitioner submitted that the child’s family were poor and unable to afford the cost of treatment. The government has not met the medical expenditure either. 

“The hospital says the treatment will cost Rs 16 lakh, but the government has released just Rs eight lakh. Since it is a case of medical negligence by government doctors, it is the responsibility of the government to pay for the treatment,” the petitioner’s counsel, Puttige Ramesh, submitted before the court.