A woman from Muzzaffarnagar, Bihar has moved the district consumer forum seeking compensation worth Rs 11 lakh from the state government for the medical negligence. She got pregnant for the fifth time even after undergoing the tubectomy.
The case was filed on March 6. Following the complaint, Dr Harendra Kumar Alok, who was the civil surgeon in Muzaffarpur before his transfer on Monday, ordered an inquiry against the doctor.
30 year old Phulkumari Devi, a native of Mahna village under Motipur police station, Muzaffarnagar tied the marital knot with 35 year old Sudhir Das of Bakhri Nazir village at Motihari in East Champaran in 2009.
Das is uneducated and a daily wage worker who had moved to Panipat, Haryana to earn a livelihood. Das told the sources that they already have three daughters and one son and they didn’t want another child. His wife underwent a tubectomy also.
“I can’t bear the expenses of another child. That’s why my wife has moved the consumer forum for Rs 11 lakh compensation from the state government to bear the expenses,” Das said.
He further said that he didn’t want to commit the sin of killing the foetus by abortion. “Now my wife is seven months’ pregnant,” Das said.
“It was Dr Sudhir Kumar who had performed the tubectomy on her in July, 2019. He is still posted there. However, he misbehaved with us twice recently when we went to ask him how she became pregnant even after family planning surgery. An ASHA asked us to fill up a claim form for getting compensation. However, my niece moved the forum,” said Phulkumari’s uncle.
Dr Alok stated, “The incident of Phulkumari came to my knowledge four days back after which I ordered an inquiry. There is a provision of Rs 30,000 compensation to a victim in such a scenario. Besides, the state government also bears delivery and medicine expenditure in such cases. However, the victim must make a claim to the health department for these benefits.”
He further added that abortion within limited time during the initial three months of pregnancy is also allowed as per legal provisions. He also stated that further necessary action in the matter would be taken on the inquiry report.
