Consumer court: Doctor sued over caesarean section delivery

Petitioner says she was operated on without consent.

LAHORE:

A woman has sued her gynaecologist and the administration of Fauji Foundation Hospital for Rs1 million over the delivery of her baby, saying she was provided faulty services and operated on without consent.

A consumer court will hear arguments on the petition on May 7.

Petitioner Saadia Tahir submitted that gynaecologist Dr Fatima of Fauji Foundation Hospital had assured her on December 16 that her delivery would be normal and it would take place on December 19.

She said that she was admitted to the hospital at 6:45am on December 18 in great pain and was shifted to the labour room. She said that Dr Fatima did not arrive until 2pm, after her husband asked the staff to call her. Meanwhile, she said, she was left unattended in physical and psychological pain and in fear of death in the delivery room. She submitted that the Fauji Foundation Hospital should have had other doctors around in Dr Fatima’s absence.

Tahir submitted that later, Dr Fatima walked into the office of a Dr Rashid Butt, where her husband and father were sitting, and flared up, stating that she would not take care of the petitioner and they should take her to another hospital. She said that her father urged Dr Fatima to give medical aid to his daughter to save her life. She said Dr Fatima then operated upon her to deliver the baby.

She said that she was discharged from hospital prematurely and suffered internal bleeding and blood clotting. She was readmitted to the hospital on December 28. She said she was burdened with heavy hospitalisation charges. She said her poor health after the delivery meant she was confined to bed rest until January 19.

She asked the court to direct the respondents to pay Rs1 million as damages for “mental torture and agony”.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Fatima said that she had told the petitioner that her delivery had looked like it would be a normal one, but there had been complications and she had performed a caesarean section to save the life of the baby. She said that she had informed the petitioner’s husband and father, while they were sitting in the office of Dr Rashid Butt, of the danger to the baby and the need for an operation, and the husband had consented to this. She said when the petitioner was discharged, her husband expressed satisfaction in the register with the services provided at the hospital. She said she would contest the suit in the consumer court.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.