BANGALORE: The Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has dismissed a complaint of negligence against the doctor of a private nursing home. In the complaint, Mala Prasad said she had labour pain and got admitted to Lakshmi Nursing Home, Seshadripuram, on November 3, 1999. It was in this hospital that she had undergone tests earlier.

The next day at 9 a.m., the doctor Vijayalakshmi advised her to undergo Caesarean section and asked her to get her family's consent. But she was referred for scanning as the heartbeat of the foetus was not audible at 11 a.m. As per the scanning report, the foetus was dead in the womb. She gave birth to a dead baby in the normal course on November 5, 1999.

Ms. Prasad said the death was because of the unreasonable delay by the doctor in taking steps for surgery.

The doctor submitted that the patient had premature separation of normally situated placenta, which is called "Abruptio Placenta". In this occurrence, the child's nutrition supply from the mother is completely cut off.

The doctor further said that when the patient was examined at 10 a.m. she was found with a green discharge, which is a sign of distress of child in the womb. In the "Non-Stress Test" done around 11 a.m., the foetal heartbeat was not audible. An obstetric scan was conducted which showed the baby dead.

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