The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission on Friday slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on Health Point Nursing Home in Paddapukur for alleged negligence in preparing the discharge summary of an 85-year-old man.

Tapas Kumar Bir, a resident of Palm Avenue in Ballygunge, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the nursing home on October 31 with Covid-19, pneumonia and other complications. He was discharged on November 16 but eventually passed away on December 6.

Upon reaching home after discharge in an hospital ambulance, a caregiver and an ayah had found “bruises all over his body”. Bir’s daughter filed a police complaint, alleging her father was beaten up at the hospital, besides approaching the commission.

“The hospital denied the allegation…. His daughter shared the pictures of the bruises…. From the pictures, we inferred that they were blood clots, a Covid-19 complication that should have been treated,” said retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the chairperson of the commission.

The hospital is said to have told the commission that there was no such mark at the time of discharge but Bir had earlier been treated for blood clots.

“The same was written on his bed ticket, according to the hospital. But there was no mention of it in his discharge summary. We have fined them Rs 25,000. We have also warned that in the future, at the time of any discharge, the hospital should not only explain to the patient party the treatment in detail but also have the same documented,” said Banerjee.

The commission ruled on several other complaints:

⚫The commission imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on CMRI for medical negligence in the treatment of a 69-year-old woman from Habra in North 24-Parganas. During the hearing, however, the complainant (the patient’s son) said he was satisfied with the hospital’s response.

⚫A private nursing home in Park Lane was asked to refund Rs 50,000 taken during the admission of a 58-year-old woman from Baruipur.

⚫The commission slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a nursing home in Howrah’s Amta for alleged medical negligence in treating a pregnant woman.

The complainant, the woman’s husband, wanted “justice”, not compensation. The commission asked the hospital to pay the amount to an orphanage.