Medical Negligence: Supreme Court's Landmark Ruling on Hospital Liability
Medical Negligence: Supreme Court's Landmark Ruling on Hospital Liability By Abhishek Jat, Advocate The Supreme Court of India recently delivered a significant judgment concerning vicarious liability of hospitals in cases of medical negligence. In a noteworthy decision in The Managing Director, Kamineni Hospitals v. Peddi Narayana Swami & Anr. (Civil Appeal arising from SLP (Civil) No. 2948-2949 of 2023), the apex court upheld the finding of liability against the hospital while modifying the compensation amount awarded to the aggrieved family. Case Background The litigation stemmed from a tragic incident involving a 27-year-old B.Tech graduate who lost his life allegedly due to medical negligence at Kamineni Hospitals. The deceased's father filed a consumer complaint, leading to proceedings before the Andhra Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (APSCDRC) and subsequently, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). The NCDRC had impos...