PASUMARTHY NARAYANA Vs. APOLLO HOSPITAL ENTERPRISES LTD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The complainant Shri Pasumarthy Narayana filed this original complaint alleging deficiency in service and medical negligence on the part of the opposite parties. The relevant facts in brief are as follows:

(2.) The son of the complainant, Anil Kumar, a youth aged 18 studying B.E. (Electronics) at Visakhapatnam approached respondent No. 1, the Apollo Cancer Hospital at Chennai on 30.9.1996 with complaints of Gingival swelling with bleeding for about three months followed by low grade fever for about a month along with general weakness, with history of rashes all over the body. He was admitted on the same day and the admission card, in addition to mentioning the above facts about his illness, also mentioned that he was investigated locally and sent to the Apollo Hospital for further management.

(3.) The illness is diagnosed as Acute Myeloid Leukemia (M4) in common language blood cancer. In the hospital he was given two phases chemotherapy treatment and after being treated for 60 days, he was discharged on 28.11.1996. In the discharge certificate, there is a mention that he was advised to come after 15 days for Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT). The complainant states that after discharge Anil Kumar came to Visakhapatnam and attended to his day-to-day work. However, the boy again fell ill and approached the Apollo Cancer Hospital once again on 3.6.1997 and was admitted as an in-patient. This time he was treated in the hospital for 46 days but ultimately he expired on 20.7.1997.