The CAMRI Hospital in Burdwan was on Monday asked to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to a patient party by the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission after it was found that a doctor, with a diploma in gynaecology, had operated a patient for breast tumour.

Retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the commission’s chairperson, told a news conference that doctor members of the commission said during the hearing that a doctor with a degree in gynaecology could not conduct a breast tumour surgery.

“A Burdwan resident complained that a doctor with a diploma in gynaecology had performed a breast tumour surgery on a patient,” said Banerjee. “Fortunately, nothing happened to the patient, who was later treated at Burdwan Medical College and Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.”

The commission asked Woodlands Hospital to pay Rs 20,000 to a woman who complained that her one-month-old son had developed an infection in one of his legs because the nurses did not check the condition of his skin after fitting an oximeter in one of his legs.

Banerjee said the woman sent a picture of the boy’s leg on Monday and there were marks of the infection in the skin. “We found the nurses’ conduct negligent and asked the hospital to pay Rs 20,000 to the family,” he said.

The commission asked Sanjivani Nursing Home in Hooghly’s Sheakhala to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to a woman who was admitted there when she was pregnant. “The woman gave birth to a baby but she developed an infection, for which the family had to spend Rs 1.5 lakh. We have asked the hospital to pay Rs 50,000 to the family,” Banerjee said.

The commission also asked Medica Superspeciality Hospital to offer Rs 10 lakh discount to the family of a 45-year-old man who died there from Covid.

“The hospital had billed Rs 39 lakh for the treatment. We decided to fix a rate of Rs 1 lakh for ECMO (an advanced type of mechanical life support) treatment for each day,” said Banerjee.

“At Rs 1 lakh a day, the bill should be Rs 31 lakh for 31 days. We also asked the hospital to offer another Rs 2 lakh as discount. The man’s father said they had already paid Rs 27 lakh and had spent all their savings to clear the bill,” said Banerjee.