Silchar, June 22: The Cachar District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has slapped a fine of Rs 10.05 lakh on two doctors for alleged medical negligence that resulted in the death of a patient suffering from degenerative appendicitis.

This is the first time that such a hefty fine has been pronounced by this 17-year-old forum, a three-member body presided over by a retired district and sessions judge, M.L. Chatterjee.

The five-page verdict stated that the doctors, Dr Akhil Pal, a surgeon, and Dr Arunabha Dutta, a physician, would have to share the amount at the rate of 70 per cent and 30 per cent respectively, and that the amount should be deposited with the forum by August 17.

The fine will be handed ov-er to the wife of the deceased patient, Debashish Mitra Mazumdar, 42, an employee of ONGC, the verdict said, and added that in case the amount was not deposited on time, the doctors would have to bear additional interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum on the principal amount.

Of the fine amount, Rs 8 lakh was compensation for demise of the patient, Rs 2 lakh for expenses incurred on his medical treatment and Rs 5,000 for recovery of legal expenses incurred by the Mazumdar’s wife, Anjana.

The verdict made it clear that there was enough evidence of “negligence and deficiency of service” during the patient’s treatment.

Mazumdar was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital in downtown Park Road here for treatment of fever on July 17.

At first Dr Arunabha Dutta had examined the patient, and advised him to undergo a blood examination and sonography. The verdict detailing the history of the patient’s case stated that Dutta had then referred the patient to his colleague in the hospital’s surgery department, Dr Akhil Paul, who asked his family to immediately admit him into a local nursing home for a surgery to remove the appendix.

The surgery was conducted the next day and Mazumdar’s appendix was removed.

But post-surgical complications continued to persist, and on August 19, Mazumdar, a resident of Tarapur area, was readmitted to the Red Cross hospital with severe pain. He was given a few units of blood and saline drips, but as there were no visible signs of improvement, his family decided to fly him to Chennai on August 29 for treatment in a reputed hospital there.

But the hospital in Chennai made it clear that the chances of recovery were very low. With no other alternative left, he was flown back to his residence here, where Mazumdar expired on September 9.

Dutta said over telephone that he and his colleague, Pal, would appeal to the state-level court of the forum in Guwahati. Pal said he had no other recourse than to remove Mazumdar’s appendix, as it was in a degenerated state.