Consumer court has ordered to pay the CIMS Hospital, situated on Science City Road in Ahmedabad to pay Rs.1.98 lacs with 8% interest in damages to a woman who fell on the slippery floor and got injured on fourth January 2015.
Bhartiben Modi, a 71 old woman had gone to the hospital with her husband to enquire about the health of one of their relatives admitted there. After paying Rs.60 visiting charge, her husband had gone upstairs and Bhartiben was waiting in the lounge where the floor was being cleaned. She lost her balance due to wet slippery floor, fell down and suffered injuries. Bhartiben was treated in the same hospital.
The total bill for Bhartiben was Rs.2.78 lacs, which she paid up to Rs.1 lac from Mediclaim and the rest form her savings. Bhartiben claimed that the hospital did not place the instructions about the floor being slipperry. She claimed Rs.5.14 lacs as damage through her advocate Hardik B Shah.
The consumer court refused to agree with the hospital’s arguments that Bhartiben fell because of her own alignment problems and that hospital is not liable tom pay as she was not a customer of the hospital. The court while refusing the injured lady the reimbursement of ther daughters’ airfare from US as they had to rush in to visit their hospitalised mother, ordered the hospital to pay the cost of treatment Bhartiben paid from her pocket. The court also added Rs.15000 as compensation to be paid for mental harassment.
Court remarked that the hospital has taken public liability non-industrial policy and hence was liable to pay.
