Bathinda, September 25
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Bathinda, has directed a doctor to pay a compensation of Rs four lakh along with the litigation charges for medical negligence in the delivery of a child.

According to details available, Gurwinder Kaur of village Kothe Gajjan Singh Wala near Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, accused the doctor, Bharti Gupta of Amar Hospital in Bathinda, of acting negligently, in a case of caesarean section.

In a complaint filed before the consumer forum, Gurwinder Kaur, who already had three daughters, alleged that the doctor operated upon her on June 18, 2007 and she gave birth to a baby boy.

During the operation, Gurwinder was given eight units of blood. However, after the surgery, her condition started deteriorating. X-Ray and ultrasound tests were conducted, during which it was found that she had fluid in the abdomen.

The complainants accused the doctor of charging a fee of Rs 20000. Finding her condition deteriorating, she was referred to the DMCH, Ludhiana, where doctors scanned her for injury in the urinary track and found that urine was leaking from the stitch applied in Bathinda.

Further, after the report of the cystoscopy, it was found that her bladder was defective. Her uterus and bladder had got mingled.

After going through the reports, Dr Atul Mishra of DMCH, Ludhiana, opted to remove her uterus and repaired her bladder to save her life and the major surgery cost about Rs four lakh to her family. Later, the woman’s family, lodged a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Bathinda, claiming a compensation of Rs 10 lakh.

During the cross-examination, the accused doctor Bharti Gupta and her counsel refuted the allegation of negligence. Further, they stated that the hospital was a charitable body and nothing was charged from the patient. They stated that the accused doctor was neither an employee nor she owned the hospital. Moreover, as to who performed the operation was a disputed point, so she could not be blamed. They claimed that due to various reasons, the case was not maintainable in the consumer forum.

During the proceedings, the consumer forum considered all relevant points including the statement of Dr Atul Mishra of the DMCH, Ludhiana, who termed the case of post LSCS distention of abdomen and discharge of suspected urine extravasations from stitch line and wound. After analyzing the facts, the consumer forum turned down the plea of the accused and imposed the penalty on her.

While announcing verdict, George, president of the forum along with a member Amarjeet Paul directed Dr Bharti Gupta to pay Rs.one lakh as pre and post expenditure and Rs. three lakh as compensation for mental and physical sufferings caused to the complainant. It has also been directed to pay the litigation expenses to the tune of Rs.5000.

In the order, it has been mentioned that the guilty doctor could claim the indemnified from an insurance company subject to its liability.

Bathinda, September 25
The postal department handed over an “unpleasant festival gift” to some of its staff at the City Post Office here today. The “gift” in the form of a written order, asked post assistants and postmen to undergo training sessions on soft skills at Sangrur on September 27 and 28. Interestingly, September 27 is Sunday and Dussehra falls on September 28.

When TNS contacted Chief Post Master General Prithavi Raj Kumar at Chandigarh over phone on Friday evening about his comment on the training date coinciding with Dussehra, he said the department would make necessary amendment and issue order in this regard.

Later, the department made an amendment in the programme and cancelled the session coinciding with Dussehra.

Today proved to be a happening day for the staff as they passed through moments of distress, relief and frustration within a short span of six hours. Sources said, “First, at around 2 pm, came the order concerning training; later it was conveyed that the sessions have been cancelled; but in the evening another announcement was made that only the session on September 28 was cancelled. There would be a training session on Sunday.”

However, no staff came in open to speak about what they termed a ‘diktat,’ frustration writ large on their faces. Some of them, on the condition of anonymity, said, “It is difficult to understand what exigency prompted the department to hold training session during the festival.”

Some of the staff alleged that the department took the decision in view of a General Body Meeting of the members of All India Postal and RMS Employees Cooperative scheduled for September 27. Senior officials of the department, however, refuted the allegation.

Bathinda, September 25
As sweet shop owners in the city gear up for the festival season, the health department has also swung into action. Health officials stated today that samples of milk and milk products are being taken from various places for testing and the exercise is expected to be stepped up in the days to come.

Checking of cheese, milk and khoya used for preparing sweets has started in the city. This year, the health authorities would be more cautious due to the last year’s incidents when over two samples checked were spurious. The health officials stated that if products seemed to be stale or spurious, then its sample need not be sent for testing, as they were authorised to destroy it on the spot.

“Taking milk, cheese and khoya samples is a regular practice but this process steps up during the festive season as there are cases of synthetic products being confiscated at various places in the state. Consumption of these products can lead to serious health hazards and at times can prove fatal also. We are more careful this year and act on the basis of a brief information also,” said Dr IP Aggarwal, assistant civil surgeon, Bathinda.

The assistant civil surgeon also requested people to buy genuine stuff from a reputed shop. “If something smells or looks stale then do not buy it. There are reports of milk products, cheese in particular, being synthetic. Avoid consuming sweets that are old and have outlived their shelf life and do not buy loose milk and cheese,” he added.

Bathinda, September 25
The BEd Teachers’ Front, Bathinda, met Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal on Friday and urged him to increase the salaries of the teaching fellows and education providers.

The members of the Front also insisted that the sixth pay commission should be implemented on teaching fellows and education providers also.

The Chief Minister has called the members of the Front to meet him in Chandigarh also. — TNS

Abohar, September 25
The district authorities have started probe into working of the Government Elementary School of village Bhangarkhera of this sub-division, sources said.

The villagers held a demonstration on Thursday alleging that pornographic film was found in a computer that was used by the students in the lab there.

The SDM had asked the education department to initiate action as the village panchayat claimed that the headmaster of the school too had confirmed that such an obscene film existed in the computer. The computer teacher, denying his involvement, was quoted as arguing that he had been depositing the keys of the computer lab with the headmaster before leaving the school. The headmaster said all the keys were in the possession of the peon.

The computer room was sealed on Thursday evening. The district authorities have to find out as to who had played the mischief, sources added.

Three staff members had reportedly left for the district headquarters as they were to be questioned by the district officials on the episode, sources indicated.