Court orders private hospital to pay Rs500,000 compensation to patient, waive Rs1.8m bill

KARACHI: A Consumer Protection Court has ordered a leading private hospital in Karachi to pay Rs500,000 in compensation to a woman patient over deficient services and medical negligence, while also relieving her of a disputed additional bill of nearly Rs1.8 million.

The Consumer Protection Court (East) also directed the hospital to pay Rs200,000 in litigation costs to the complainant.

The court rejected the hospital’s objection that the complaint had been filed after the prescribed legal period under the Sindh Consumer Protection Act.

However, the court dismissed the patient’s claim seeking a refund of Rs2.2 million paid for hip replacement surgery, as well as a separate claim for Rs4.516 million in damages for nursing care, physiotherapy and medicines.

The court observed that even the hospital’s own doctor could not explain how a catheter that was correctly positioned initially ended up inside an artery.

According to the court, the catheter entering the artery constituted a deficiency in the hospital’s services. However, it said a direct medical link between the catheter’s incorrect placement and the patient’s paralysis could not be conclusively established.

The court nevertheless held that the patient was entitled to reasonable compensation for the additional surgery and mental distress caused by the hospital’s error.

Patient’s condition deteriorated after surgery

According to the complaint, 90-year-old Zubaida Bibi underwent hip replacement surgery at the leading private hospital on April 30, 2024.

After her blood pressure dropped following the surgery, doctors inserted a central venous catheter on May 1.

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An X-ray initially showed the catheter in the correct position, according to the complainant.

However, the patient’s condition deteriorated two to three days later. When doctors removed the catheter, they discovered that it had entered an artery instead of a vein, according to the complaint.

The family alleged that the patient subsequently suffered a stroke and became severely paralysed. They said she had previously been able to eat, breathe and speak normally.

On May 4, the patient underwent another surgery to remove the catheter and repair the artery, according to the complaint.

The complainant’s lawyer argued that inserting the central venous catheter (CVC) into an artery amounted to a basic medical error that resulted in serious complications and permanent disability.

The lawyer also alleged that hospital staff pressured the family to sign documents relating to the ventilator and additional payments.

Despite complaints through emails and legal notices, the lawyer said, the hospital failed to take effective action for an extended period.

The family further claimed that, as a result of the hospital’s alleged negligence, the patient required long-term nursing care, oxygen support and a feeding machine.

Hospital disputes allegations

The hospital’s lawyer challenged the complaint, arguing that it had been filed after the statutory 30-day period under the Sindh Consumer Protection Act.

The hospital also alleged that the complainant had concealed the patient’s previous medical condition and had made incorrect allegations against the hospital.

After hearing both sides, the court ordered the hospital to pay Rs500,000 in compensation and Rs200,000 in litigation costs, while relieving the patient of the disputed additional bill of approximately Rs1.8 million.