WBCERC tells hospital to pay Rs. 10 lakh as compensation

The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has directed CMRI to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the father of a newborn who had died after a series of surgeries at the hospital. During investigation, the health panel found that the qualification of the paediatric surgeon who was treating the newborn was not recognised by the Medical Council of India. According to a complaint lodged by Arshe Azam to WBCERC, his wife Firdaus Jahan had given birth to a male child at the hospital on April 1, 2017. The child was referred to Dr Biswajit Bhaduri, a paediatric surgeon attached to the hospital, when the baby failed to pass stool. A surgery was conducted and the baby was discharged in a few days. The parents were asked to come back in July for a second surgery. It was after this surgery that the baby’s condition kept deteriorating and the boy died in July despite a third surgery. Bhaduri had submitted before the commission that he had obtained a Masters in paediatric surgery from Germany. During investigation, the panel found that this qualification is not recognized by the MCI and Bhaduri is registered only as an MBBS doctor with the West Bengal Medical Council. “CMRI should pay an amount of Rs 10 lakh to the complainant within 15 days,” said the judgment signed by Justice Ashim Kumar Roy, WBCERC chairperson, and five other members.