Anu Bala, a resident of VIP Road in Zirakpur, testified before the commissioner that she visited Dr. Vineet Sharma on September 1, 2020, at his clinic in Sector 47, Chandigarh, with complaints of right knee pain and left knee discomfort.
The doctor suggested she have both of her knees replaced, which would cost her 2.7 lakh.
She was admitted to Cosmo Hospital, Phase 8, Mohali, for the procedure on September 2, 2020, and released on September 7.
Bala stated that she started having problems with her left knee despite following all medical advice. When she went to see the doctor at his clinic, he informed her that everything had gone smoothly and that she could take painkillers and exercise to get the pain under control.
However, she claimed that the doctor didn’t take the pain seriously because it was the result of a surgical error.
She was given the diagnosis of valgus (bone angled out from body) in the left knee after seeing other doctors, and was advised to undergo another surgery.
Dr. Sharma responded by claiming to be well-qualified and to have replaced about 3,000 knees. He claimed that the surgery hospital’s refusal to join the complaint was the reason it was bad.
He asserted that the patient was released without any issues and that she was able to walk comfortably back to her home. She experienced no pain even during follow-up visits up until May 2021.
He also claimed that the patient had hidden her X-rays and other test results that showed her knees were in good condition when she was released from the hospital.
Regarding the valgus reports, he asserted that they had nothing to do with the surgery and might be caused by a ruptured ligament brought on by stress or local trauma.
He further contended that studies suggested that 15-20% people remained dissatisfied with knee replacement due to various reasons.
The commission did note that the doctor failed to perform his duties adequately despite being aware that the complainant had rheumatoid arthritis, and that his failure to do so led to a 10 degree valgus in the left knee.
Observing that the woman will remain crippled for life if not given corrective surgery, the commission directed the doctor to pay ₹3 lakh compensation to the patient for causing mental harassment and ₹20,000 for litigation costs.
