CHENNAI, DEC 9: Ramakrishna, who was suffering from fever, went to the doctor for a medical certificate to extend his leave by a few more days. But it resulted in the man losing his left eye-sight.

Ramakrishnan was working as a peon in the Dhandayuthapani Devasthanam at Palani. As he was suffering from fever, he went to Dr Ponnusami, a medical officer of the Devasthanam hospital, for a medical certificate.

According to the complaint filed by Ramakrishnan at the Commission, the doctor performed a cataract operation on Ramakrishnan's left eye. After the operation, Ramakrishnan complained of pain in the operated eye.

A week later the doctor confirmed that Ramakrishnan had lost his left eye sight.

Awarding a total of Rs 2.20 lakh, the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission comprising Justice E J Bellie, president, and Pulavar V S Kandasamy and Dr Angel Arulraj, members, observed that there is no reason to disbelieve what the complainant has testified. His evidence disclosed that the operation was done without necessary pre-operative tests and that Dr Shanmugaraj, the eye surgeon who performed the operation, saw the patient only on the day the patient had lost his eye sight.

From the materials available on record one cannot but come to the conclusion that as claimed by the complainant, it was only due to the negligence and deficiency in service on the part of the two doctors that the complainant has lost his sight in the left eye, the commission said and directed the doctors to pay the amount within two months.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.