In yet another case, the minor son of a woman, who had a fall in a slippery bathroom in the ESI Hospital, Sanatnagar, in Hyderabad, was awarded a compensation of Rs 1 lakh by the AP State Consumer Disputes' Redressal Commission. The Commission recently ordered a paediatrician based in Machilipatnam to pay a compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh for his negligence that resulted in the amputation of a patient's leg.

In the present case, the Commission blamed the hospital for not keeping the bathroom clean because of which the victim, M Rama Devi, 23, slipped and fell. Subsequently, she died of the injury sustained while undergoing treatment in another hospital in the year 1996.

During the course of the six-year fight for compensation, the woman's husband, Ramesh Reddy, who brought the case to the Commission, also died. Then their minor son, Garlapati Sai Teja Reddy, had been brought on record as the complainant. According to the Commission's verdict, given by its president P Ramakrishnam Raju and member Mamta Lakshmanna, the compensation with a 12 per cent interest is to be paid by the ESI Hospital Director, Civil Assistant Surgeon Rajulu and nurse Rutham.

The hospital filed a counter blaming Rama Devi for not seeking the attendent's help while going to the bathroom. It denied that there was fungus in the toilet and argued that the staff examined the patient and recorded the data.

According to the complaint, although the ward boy, the sister and a doctor were shown as present in the attendance register, none was present at the time of the mishap. Around 4 am, the patient walked to the slippery toilet and fell down. She became unconscious. Her worried mother found her lying on the floor. The old woman with the help of other patients woke up the doctor who admonished them for waking him up. Later, Rama Devi died in another hospital.