Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), June 25: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has instructed the Odisha government to pay Rs 4 lakh in compensation to a woman patient who suffered severe complications due to alleged medical negligence by an Ayush doctor at a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Keonjhar district in 2022. The NHRC has mandated the Chief Secretary to submit a compliance report within six weeks.
According to the NHRC order quoted by IANS, “The Government of Odisha through its Chief Secretary, is recommended to release Rs 4,00,000 to the victim Gurubari Mahanta, wife of Pradeep Patel of Sendkap in Keonjhar Sadar block, and submit the compliance report along with the proof of payment to the Commission within six weeks.”
The state government has acknowledged the NHRC’s directive and agreed to deduct the compensation amount from the salary of the Ayush doctor in question, Ashok Kumar Sahoo. An inquiry conducted by the Chief District Medical Officer of Keonjhar revealed that the doctor allegedly failed to follow government guidelines by not referring the patient to Keonjhar district hospital, located just 12 km away from Padmapur, after providing initial treatment.
The patient, who suffered from severe bleeding following childbirth, was admitted to CHC Padmapur on August 13, 2022. Instead of transferring her to Keonjhar DHH as recommended, the doctor reportedly performed a procedure on her urinary bladder.
