The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday said the West Bengal government paid Rs 3.75 lakh as monetary relief to the kin of a pregnant woman who died due to alleged medical negligence.
The incident happened at the Lalbagh Sub-Divisional Hospital in Murshidabad district on February 8, 2020.
The NHRC said in a statement that it directed the state Medical Council to take disciplinary action against the negligent doctor after it registered a case on the basis of a complaint.
“In response to the notices, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, West Bengal, has informed that an enquiry committee found that as per the death certificate, the patient died due to heart failure. It was also found that the doctor who was on duty was not present in the hospital and instead gave instructions over phone to the nurses. He attended the patient after a delay of five hours,” the NHRC said.
The state government said a departmental inquiry was initiated against the doctor. A copy of the enquiry committee report was also sent to the West Bengal Medical Council for disciplinary action against him.
The NHRC observed that the state is “vicariously” responsible for the negligence of the doctor and recommended the monetary relief.
