The Supreme Court has ordered a compensation of Rs. 20 lakh to the parents of a girl whose right arm was amputated out of negligence in a Bangalore hospital where she was under treatment for pneumonia. She was two when the incident took place in Manipal Hospital in August 2002.
A Bench of Justices M.Y. Eqbal and Arun Mishra said: “Although the sufferings, agony and pain which the girl child will carry cannot be compensated in terms of money, but, in our view, a compensation of Rs. 20 lakh will be just and reasonable ...” While administering intravenous fluid to her in the intensive care unit, the needle was wrongly inserted into the artery instead of the vein, blocking blood supply to the forearm. She thus developed gangrene, resulting in the amputation. The Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission awarded Rs. 5 lakh and the National Commission confirmed the sum. The parents, Alfred Benddict and wife, then moved the Supreme Court.
