Doctor, clinic told to pay Rs 9.2 lakh over woman’s death

MUMBAI: A consumer forum recently ordered a Borivli-based doctor and his heart clinic to pay Rs 9.2 lakh compensation to the daughter of a 57-year-old woman who died after being administered more than the required amount of sodium without proper monitoring, following her collapse due to its low levels in 2006. The forum found Dr Parag Ajmera and Arihant Heart Clinic guilty of negligence and observed that instead of following the practice of administering sodium chloride gradually, two bottles were administered within two hours.
Dr M S Kamath who argued the case on behalf of the complainant, Shruta Dadarkar, said that the high dosage caused brain damage in the patient, Laila Dadarkar, who died later in another hospital. “The hospital report showed this as the cause of death,” said Kamath.
The complaint was filed before the Mumbai suburban district consumer disputes redressal forum in 2007. The complaint said that Laila had been undergoing treatment for weakness and muscle pain for around a month before her collapse on August 5, 2006. She was then admitted to Arihant Heart Clinic. After conducting tests, her family was informed that the sodium levels in her blood were very low. She was admitted to the ICU and administered sodium.
The complaint further said that, that night she even had food on her own. However, she later became ill and suffered breathlessness.
Dadarkar said in the complaint that a CT scan was conducted. She alleged that her mother’s consciousness was affected and there was barely any difference to her state over the next two days. On August 8, 2006, it was noticed that her brain was affected, which an MRI confirmed.
The same day the doctor informed the family that she was serious and asked them to shift her to another hospital, which they did. Dadarkar said when the hospital checked the patient’s sodium level it was found to be extremely high and further tests revealed the extent of the damage.
On August 26, 2006, during treatment, Laila died. The doctor and the clinic denied the allegations. They alleged it was an attempt to grab money from them. They claimed the patient was constantly monitored and the family informed about her status.