PBT held an open public seminar on Rogi Divas (“Patients’ Day”) this week where an urgent memorandum was sent to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) president urging him to form a fast-track court for quick disposal of cases involving alleged medical negligence by doctors and hospitals (see news reports below). While acknowledging that the consumer courts have brought a ray of hope for the hapless victims of medical negligence in India under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), PBT has stressed that inordinate delays extending to several years and decades in disposal of complaints against the errant doctors/hospitals have brought a great deal of frustration for the victims of medical negligence. PBT has requested the NCDRC president to establish separate fast-track courts for handling only cases involving medical negligence for expedited disposal rather than, as is the norm today, all consumer complaints, much of which involves ordinary commercial disputes, are tagged together with cases of medical malpractice that truly involves vital question of life and death for the ordinary people.
Pioneer (June 1, 2017)Daily News World (May 28, 2017)
