Hospital Directed to Pay ₹10 Lakh Compensation for Child’s Death: Rights Panel

Speedy Summary

• Kerala State commission for Protection of child Rights directed Mar Thoma Medical Mission Center in Ranni, Pathanamthitta district, too pay ₹10 lakh to the parents of Aaron V. Varghese, a five-year-old who died after falling while playing at school.
• Aaron’s death occured in February last year; lapses in his medical treatment at the hospital were identified by the commission.
• The commission instructed pathanamthitta District Police Chief to register a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against hospital authorities and doctors.
• Findings included delayed chemical examinations,altered post-mortem reports,and procedural violations before surgery. Urinary tract infection was ruled out as the cause of death.
• The orthopaedic doctor did not have required legal registration for practice.
• The commission emphasized better medical treatment protocols for children at the hospital.

Indian Opinion Analysis

This directive from Kerala’s child rights body highlights concerns over healthcare regulations and accountability within private hospitals. It underscores systemic failures such as unqualified personnel practicing medicine and delayed or improper investigations that can critically affect patients’ lives-in this case, a minor whose tragic loss might have been preventable with better oversight.

the ruling may set an important precedent by ensuring stricter enforcement of policies surrounding child healthcare standards and proper credentialing of medical professionals in India. Such measures coudl prompt private hospitals across the country to review their practices comprehensively so that similar tragedies are avoided in future.

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