Consumer court issues notices to Ruby Hall and Jehangir Hospital The division bench of the Mumbai consumer forum on Friday held that prima facie there was a case of negligence and deficiency of service while treating Reeda Sheikh,the first swine flu victim in the country. The consumer court has issued notices to Jehangir Hospital and Ruby Hall Clinic and directed the doctors to be present for the next hearing on August 10. Forum members R Lale and N K Mashelkar were present during the hearing,said the familys advocate Asif Lampwala. The family members of Reeda had initially sought Rs 5 crore as compensation from Jehangir Hospital and Ruby Hall Clinic for their childs death. After scrutinising the plea,the National Consumer Redressal Commission,New Delhi,asked them to provide more information regarding the amount the family was asking as compensation. Lampwala said the plea had not been admitted in the Delhi forum. However,the case was later shifted to the state consumer court with the compensation demand reduced to Rs 1 crore. Reeda,a 14-year-old student of St Annes School,died on August 3,2009 due to H1N1. While the family had held the hospital responsible for negligence,a subsequent report of the expert committee of B J Medical College and Sassoon Hospital doctors had given a clean chit to both Jehangir and Ruby Hospitals. The report had been widely quoted in the media and experts had said that looking at the clinical picture there was no negligence in the management of the patient. When contacted,Bhomi Bhote,CEO of Ruby Hall Clinic,said they had already been cleared by the expert panel. Dr Prasad Muglikar,Medical Director at Jehangir Hospital,too averred that they had done their best for the child in the given circumstances. We have been absolved by the expert committee and there has been no medical negligence, said Muglikar. Both Ruby Hall Clinic and Jehangir Hospital have yet to receive the notices. Reedas aunt Ayesha who had taken up the fight on behalf of the entire family said,We are not giving up the fight.
