Cases Of Medical Negligence ‘Rampant’ In Gurugram’s Private Hospitals

Cases of medical negligence in the private hospitals of the state continue to surface which is a matter of serious concern. Most of the cases were reported in the private hospitals of the districts falling in National Capital Religion (NCR). According to the data provided by the state government, as many as 68 cases were reported in 11 districts of the state and Gurugram emerges on the top in terms of cases of medical negligence requiring the government to tighten the noose around the owners of such hospitals so that people can not be exploited any more.

It is pertinent to mention that a total of 45 cases reported in private hospitals of the Gurugram to be followed by Mewat and Sonipat districts with 7 and 5 cases of medical negligence respectively. Thus, more than 65 percent cases were reported in Gurugram alone. 3 cases surfaced in Bhiwani district to be followed by Rewari with 2 cases. 5 cases of above-mentioned nature also surfaced in Faridabad, Kaithal, Jind, Panchkula and Panipat districts each. In this series, it is pertinent to mention that such cases are also being reported in the government hospitals as well. A total of 4 cases surfaced in government health institutes and all cases reported in Sonipat.

It is pertinent to mention that the action in case of medical negligence does not come under the purview of the Health Department. However, in case of negligence by a Government doctor, the action is taken by the Health Department as per the Provisions of Haryana Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules. It is a noticeable fact that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the private hospitals were reported overcharging from the patients which led to discussions to have an eye on such private institutes. In wake of such private institutes overcharging the fees, the government had fixed the rate of Covid-19 testing and its treatment. A string of cases surfaced in Gurugram in recent years. A report of Haryana assembly committee also revealed that five cases of medical negligence were reported in 2017 and 2018 from Gurugram based super speciality hospitals. Besides, one case of medical negligence each from Panchkula and Hisar districts and two cases from Jhajjar were also reported during the period.