In an apparently unheard-before directive, the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has directed the BM Birla Heart Research Centre, oldest premier private healthcare unit especially for cardiac care in the state, to pay around Rs 3 lakh spent for treatment of a woman patient in Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in Chennai.

While speaking to reporters in a virtual press conference held on Monday, Justice Asim Banerjee, chairman of the WBCERC, said, “We have directed the BM Birla Heart Research Centre (BMBHRC) to reimburse actual expenses spent for the treatment and transport cost of the patient Padma De at Apollo Hospital in Chennai. The patient would go to (BMBHRC) on 10 September and produce all treatment bills and transport charges for the up and down journey between Kolkata and Chennai before the BM Birla Hospital authorities.”

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“The BMBHRC would have to pay the expense of around Rs 3 lakh to Padma De first and then she has to produce all medical records related to her treatment at Apollo Hospital in Chennai before the BM Birla hospital authorities. The BMBHRC would verify what kind of wrong treatments were given to the patient after seeing her medical records of treatment in Chennai hospital,” Justice Banerjee, retired judge of the high court, said.

According to the WBCERC chairman, Padma De (60) of Arambagh in Hooghly district used to undergo treatment under Dr Anjan Sisotia at BMBHRC regularly. On 3 June in 2020 she went to Dr Sisotia for pacemaker replacement surgery. But she complained of pain because of infection causing formation pus after the replacement of the old pacemaker with new one.

Mrs De rushed to Dr Sisotia 10 to 12 times at different times complaining of infections in the portion of her chest, where the replacement procedure was performed by the doctor. But the doctor denied such infection and asked the patient to go to a local doctor in her Arambagh locality.

Local doctor cleaned the pus on the affected portion of her chest and advised her for an X-ray. She underwent an X-ray in Arambagh and it showed two foreign bodies of the old pacemaker still there in her body. She showed the X-ray report to Dr Sisotia, who did not admit his fault in treatment, denying the reports, justice Banerjee said.

Finding no other options, she rushed to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai and got rid of the two foreign bodies through surgery. The patient is doing well. Justice Banerjee said, adding that the commission directed the BMBHRC authorities to pay the entire expense, including treatment cost and transport charge to the patient on 10 September.

The WBCERC held hearings with both Mrs De and BMBHRC authorities after the patient lodged a complaint with the commission several months ago.