Bitten by dog? Give full details at hospital

Apex court-appointed panel to collect evidence for granting compensation

While there is still no sign of a let-up in dog-bite cases being reported from across Kerala, hospitals treating dog-bite victims may now have an additional task. They may have to specifically record whether the victim was attacked by a domestic dog or a stray one.

The Supreme Court-appointed commission for compensating dog-bite victims was contemplating to instruct all hospitals in this regard, S. Siri Jagan, chairman of committee, told The Hindu .

Currently, there is no specific protocol for recording such finer details of dog-bite cases. Usually, inferences are drawn about the nature of the culprit dogs and the attacks from what patients tell the doctors. But recording details of the dog has become critically relevant for considering compensation claims.

Sittings to be held

No claims for attacks by domestic dogs would be entertained while those bitten by stray dogs could claim compensation. The commission would hold sittings in all district headquarters and collect evidence for assessing the nature of bites and quantum of compensation, said Mr. Siri Jagan, a former judge of the High Court of Kerala.

R. Ramesh, Director of Health Services, and B.G. Harindranath, State Law Secretary, are the other members of the panel.

The procedure for evidence collection will not be as strict as in court cases. However, the panel will apply its discretion and collect evidence from the victims and hospital authorities. The local authorities concerned will also be given an opportunity to give evidence and cross-examine the witnesses as the compensation will have to be paid by them.

Many factors

The quantum of compensation will be decided after considering factors such as intensity and the nature of wound, the pain and suffering endured by the victim, and the hospital and allied expenses incurred. If the victim suffers any level of disability following the attack, that would also be counted for deciding compensation. There could not be any ceiling on the compensation and it would be fixed on a case-to-case basis, Mr. Siri Jagan said.

Applications for dog-bite compensation could be submitted in a white paper and no format would be prescribed for it. The claims, as decided by the panel, would be sent to the Supreme Court for its decision, he said.