The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission on Thursday asked Royd Nursing Home to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the family of a woman who went into shock during anaesthesia and later passed away in another hospital.

Retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the commission’s chairperson, said the commission could not probe the cause of the woman’s death because the nursing home on Royd Street did not preserve the syringe or the vial containing the drug used for anaesthesia.

“We ordered the Rs 1 lakh compensation against the hospital as they did not preserve the syringe or the drug,” said Banerjee.

The 30-year-old woman was admitted to the nursing home in May 2019 to undergo a maxillofacial surgery. During anaesthesia, she went into shock and also had convulsion, said Banerjee. The woman was later shifted to Peerless Hospital, where she passed a few days later.

During Thursday’s hearing, Royd Nursing Home told the commission that they did not preserve the syringe or the drug used for anaesthesia as no one had told them about it.

The commission also asked Repose Nursing Home to pay a compensation of Rs 20,000 to the family of a 30-year-old man who was allegedly not given any treatment at the hospital for two hours. The nursing home was also asked to return Rs 10,000 that the family had paid them during admission.

The family shifted the man to another hospital where he was treated.

Banerjee said the man suffered injuries in a road accident. He was taken to the nursing home from SSKM Hospital as the state-run hospital did not have vacant beds.

“The doctor who was supposed to treat him said over the phone that he could not come because he was at KPC Hospital. The doctor said that the patient had to be taken to KPC,” said Banerjee.

“The patient lay without any treatment for two hours,” he added.

Repose, however, did not return the family the initial amount of Rs 10,000. “We have asked the nursing home to return the Rs 10,000 they had paid. We have also asked the nursing home to pay the family Rs 20,000 as compensation,” Banerjee added.

The commission also asked Horizon Lifeline Multispeciality Hospital on CIT Road to return Rs 97,000 and Rs 1,03,00 to two patients of the same family because the commission found the bill to be inflated.

The two senior citizens were admitted in the hospital in July and August with Covid-19.

“We found that the charges for personal protective equipment (PPE) were more than what has been stipulated,” said Banerjee.

Charring Cross Nursing Home in Phoolbagan was asked to offer a Rs 13,000 discount to a Covid-19 patient. The bed charges were very high and the hospital also did not offer discounts on pharmacy products, said Banerjee.