A former senior central government official has lost his hearing after taking a drug prescribed by a city-based urologist.

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission asked the doctor, Shivaji Basu, to pay compensation of Rs 2 lakh to 68-year-old Debopriya Ghosh for not warning him about the possible side effects of the drug. Basu has moved the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Ghosh, a Jadavpur resident who worked for the Geological Survey of India, consulted the urologist in 1998 about a urinary tract infection. After several tests, Basu suggested urgent catheterisation and prescribed Amikacin injection of 1000 mg daily for four days along with other medicines.

After more tests, he advised Ghosh to undergo prostate surgery. It was performed in June 1998. Because Ghosh was reactive to an antibiotic, Basu advised him to take Amikacin, said Sudipta, the former official’s wife. He was administered two ampules of Amikacin injections of 500 mg each daily for five days.

Ghosh said he told the doctor of his renal ailments and suggested that Amikacin would be harmful to him. Basu allegedly insisted that he take the drug and did not warn him about the side effects.

“In September, my husband took part in a seminar. After delivering his lecture he realised he could not hear the questions from the audience,” said Sudipta. An ENT specialist confirmed that Ghosh, who never had a hearing problem, was suffering from hearing impairment. Another specialist advised him to use a hearing aid.

“We are of considered view that Shivaji Basu had failed to take due care to apprise the complainant about the adverse effect of the injection before administering the same. Moreover, there was no advice for conducting audiometry test,” the state commission recently observed.

“The drug was prescribed as a life saving measure as he was retaining urine and his creatinine level had gone up. The medicine saved his life and was prescribed as he was reactant to other drugs,” said Basu. “However, he should have been warned about the consequences. But it’s not been proved that the hearing impairment was a side effect.”

According to Sudipta, Ghosh suffered a stroke earlier this year unable to cope with the stress of attending hearings. “Now he can hardly speak and cannot hear or move.”