NHRC, India takes suo motu cognizance of the reported surgery of a patient in the wrong knee at a Panipat hospital in Haryana

Press release

National Human Rights Commission

New Delhi: 20th June, 2024

NHRC, India takes suo motu cognizance of the reported surgery of a patient in the wrong knee at a Panipat hospital in Haryana

The Commission issues notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Haryana calling for reports within one week

Says, negligent authorities cannot escape their responsibility for failing to keep a check on the hospitals exploiting patients in an inhuman manner

The report should include the action taken against the guilty and compensation, if any, provided to the patient

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a patient was wrongly operated upon his left knee, instead of the injured right knee at a hospital in Panipat, Haryana. Reportedly, when the family members of the patient protested, the doctors immediately conducted surgery on the other knee but the patient is unable to walk. The hospital charged a sum of Rs 8,000/- from him and also took away his Ayushman Card.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise serious issues of medical negligence causing violation of the rights to life and health of the victim. Accordingly, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Haryana calling for a detailed report within one week. It should include the action taken against the guilty and compensation, if any, provided to the patient.

Issuing the notices, the Commission has observed that according to the media report, the patient was charged by the hospital despite being a beneficiary of Ayushman - Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). Therefore, the authorities who have failed to do their duty to supervise and keep vigil on such private hospitals cannot escape their liability, where the patients are being exploited and subjected to cruelty as well as being treated in an inhuman manner.

According to the media report, the victim had lost his family in an accident, in the year 2006 and since then, he has been earning his livelihood by working as a labourer. His right knee had been injured when he fell while cleaning his house.

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