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Snake bite: hospital told to pay damages

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM FEB. 7. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the authorities of the Nedumangad Taluk Hospital to pay damages to an inpatient who was bitten by a snake while under treatment there.

In his ruling, the Forum president, N. Haridas, directed that the complainant, Govindan of Anad village in Nedumangad, be paid Rs. 15,000 as damages with future interest at 14.5 per cent, Rs. 12,000 as treatment expenses and Rs. 1,000 as cost in two months' time.

The hospital superintendent, the District Medical Officer, and the secretary, Nedumangad Municipality, were among the respondents in the complaint. Govindan was admitted in the hospital for treatment on April 26, 2002, and was bitten by a snake that night.

The Forum noted that the incident was reflective of the poor upkeep and maintenance of the hospital. The patients going for treatment in a Government hospital or any other hospital should at least feel secure against wild animals and snakes.

The wild growth around the hospital was not cleared periodically, and the accumulating shrubbery could become a haven for snakes, the order said.

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