Medical Complaints

Over the past 20 years, medical technology has seen a tremendous growth. According to a recent study, medical technology has evolved more in the last 20 years than in the past thousand years. The same growth is also imminent in the total number of hospitals being established.

So far there are a total number of 4,419 hospitals in India with more than 400,000 beds for patients. Technologies such as Robotic surgery which were unheard of are soon going to become a common sight. X-Ray, CT & MRI scans are the most commonly used technologies by the doctors today.

Since everything has its own disadvantages along with the advantages, medical development and its related services too have shown a negative impact in recent years. It is observed that ample amounts of medical complaints are being filed by the consumers regarding the medical services that they have taken, just because of medical negligence by doctors or care takers.

There have been many consumer complaints registered against hospitals and medical professionals regarding medical negligence, improper diagnosis, unfair billing for medical services and many more. These complaints have increased drastically over the past years in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Chennai and almost all the cities in India.

Over the past few years, medical negligence has become a quite common term. Medical negligence or Medical malpractice, as the term suggests, relates to the process when a medical or health care professional deviates from standards in his or her profession thereby causing grievous injury to the patient.

Medical negligence can be seen in various cases like when reasonable care is not taken during operations, diagnosis or even during the delivery of the child. Many doctors purposely practice medical negligence as a way to extract more money from the patient.

In this article, we have covered the common medical complaints, hospital complaints and complaints against doctors that are faced by patients and how you can resolve them.

But before discussing medical complaints in detail, let's know more about some of the most famous hospitals in India.

Famous Hospitals in India

1. AIIMS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi

AIIMS has some of the best doctors and all sorts of facilities required in medical research. Not only that, AIIMS is also the foremost as well as prestigious training institute for medical science. Students from all over India come here to study. Even patients from all over India come here for advanced treatment for critical illnesses. The main reason for it is that people who belong to below poverty line can afford the medical expenses here. This is a government hospital which has been also appreciated internationally. India Today Group announced AIIMS as the best hospital in India in 2014.

2. Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi

Apollo Hospital is considered as the pioneer of the healthcare services provided all over Asia. Indraprastha Apollo hospital has maintained its excellence in education, research and healthcare to serve humanity better. The main aim of this organization is to provide medical services to its patients that are of international standard. Apollo Hospital is also known for its technological superiority. It is specialized in Cancer treatment, Orthopaedics, Neuro sciences, Organ transplantation, and Cardiac sciences.

3. Christian Medical College, Vellore
Christian Medical College has the foremost position in the field of medical science. The use of latest technologies, providing affordable treatment costs and distinctive features of CMC sanitary measures makes it unique. CMC specializes in advanced therapeutic services, Neuro sciences, Gastroenterology and Haematology. CMC is known for its world-class services related to healthcare which is under the reach of the poor section of the society. It has 2600 beds along with 11 Intensive Care Units (ICUs). There are more than 1500 doctors and more than 9000 medical staff to provide the best service to each patient. CMC has also achieved recognition throughout the world as the medical and research centre.

4. Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai
Tata Memorial Hospital is popular for its well-known cancer treatment. It is situated in Mumbai and is specialized in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treatment. Tata Memorial Hospital is also called Cancer Research Centre (CRC). Other specialized services provided by the Tata Memorial hospital are blood tests, Operation theatre, Hemato Oncology, ICU and P.E.T scanner. It is associated with the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer or ACTREC. It has been recognized nationally for its world-class treatment, well-equipped infrastructure and latest technologies.

5. Fortis Hospital, Kolkata
Fortis Hospital is situated in Kolkata. It has one of the best advanced medical facilities and possesses world-class infrastructure. It provides 24 hours emergency service to the critical patients. Fortis hospital is specialized in cardiology, nephrology and urology. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the hospital has a Coronary Care Unit, and Medical Intensive Care Unit. The hospital is well-furnished with more than 70 beds. The excellent infrastructure and well-trained doctors and medical staff have made it one of the best hospitals in the country.

6. Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai
Lilavati Hospital is a famous multi specialty hospital in India. The quality of healthcare services has attracted many patients from around the world. The aim of the hospital is to provide its patients more than just treatment and healthcare but also the touch of humanity. It was set up in 1997 and is managed by Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. It has more than 300 beds and 12 operation theaters in it.

Types of Medical Complaints

We at Voxya generally receive around hundreds of medical complaints every month relating to medical negligence or complaints about doctors exaggerating how they could have performed better or how the patients are being overcharged for the facilities. The most common medical complaints made by patients include poor nursing staff, wrong medicine packages delivered, intentionally looting customers, medical negligence etc. Some of the most common and frequent medical complaints by patients in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune and Kolkata are given below:

Medical Negligence

Medical negligence is the act of performing responsibilities by doctor, surgeon, dentist, nurse and any other medical professional in such a way that it deviates from the accepted standard of medical or healthcare. For an example, if a doctor provides sub-standard treatment in respect to the accepted medical standard, then it would be assumed that the doctor has failed to perform his or her duty and it can be declared as negligence.

There are times when medical negligence becomes medical malpractice when the below standard treatment of the doctor causes any injury to the patient and the condition of the patient becomes worse. Sometimes due to negligence by doctors, unexpected complications arise which requires additional health treatment in order to cure the patient.

Improper Diagnosis

Improper diagnosis is one of the most common medical complaints as reported by patients in India. It is said that an improper diagnosis is done when a competent doctor has conducted "differential diagnosis" which could be questioned and opined by the experts in this field.

Firstly a doctor lists the possible medical issues that the patient can have. Then tests are conducted on the patient and finally a possible definitive medical diagnosis would be determined by the doctor. After taking up the diagnosis, if the doctor fails to achieve the expected degree of care, then the patient must prove it. Doctors may fail to achieve the medical standard of care in many ways. For an instance, the doctor might fail to recognize and realize the urgency of one or more possible medical problems and hence delay in the diagnosis & treatment is caused. A nurse could fail to provide appropriate diagnostic medication while altering the patient’s response to the medication and misleading the doctor to assume the wrong conclusion. In such cases, the consumer has the right to file a complaint against the medical professionals as per Consumer Protection Act.

Medicine Delivery issues

Medicine delivery refers to the distribution of medicine through medical professionals, representatives and other kinds of distributors. The most common issue or grievance regarding medicine delivery is that it is not delivered on time.

There are cases when the required medicines are not available at the stores or in the medical institutions. Even there are people who take advantage of this urgency and sell the medicine at a higher rate. Also in today's digital world, patients are buying medicines online but many times they are unable to get these medicines delivered to them on time which causes inconvenience and medical complications. Now-a-days a lot of medicine delivery complaints are filed by consumers who are opting to buy medicines online due to COVID pandemic.

Wrong Treatment

Wrong treatment is another frequent medical complaint, similar to medical negligence by doctor. When an individual opts for services in any medical room, clinic or hospital, the initial step after admission is the diagnosis required. It is critical yet important to diagnose the symptoms correctly and eventually provide proper medical treatment to the patients.

But if the patient is not treated accordingly due to any negligence in the diagnosis, the doctor or the hospital would be liable for any further damages caused as a result of wrong treatment.

There are even cases where wrong treatment has been done intentionally by the doctor or hospital in order to force the patient to take more and more treatments and tests. Also, the medical negligence can result in pursuing the wrong treatment by the medical professionals.

In any of the above circumstances, the medical entities are liable and the patients can register a complaint against any of these issues faced. If the claims of the complaint are found to be justified then further action could be taken with the help of consumer court or consumer forum.

Unjustified Bills

Often it is observed that medical bills do not show the exact reason for which the money was charged. There can be cases where itemized bills show charges that come from nowhere. Some cases are where medical bills show services which were not even provided to the patient or the service is included in the bill but was not informed and was not supposed to be given by the hospital or doctor.

For instance, one patient received a bill for leg surgery that included charges for blood tests of the newborn.

The tricky part applied in these bills is the technical language that most of the people are unaware of. This is why there remains the tendency to overlook the charges which are included falsely. Many times, people do not realize and they just pay for it.

For any of the issues mentioned above, a patient can register a complaint against the hospital or doctor.

How to resolve medical complaints?

To protect the consumer rights in respect to the rights of the patients, Consumer Protection Act (CPA) was formulated in 1986 and the medical profession was brought under the purview of the act in 1995. All the patients who are making payments for any health services were recognized under the definition of “Consumer” in this Act as a step towards consumer protection.

If you have a complaint regarding the improper care in the hospital then you should contact the State Survey Agency. If you have a complaint about the poor conditions of the hospital you can contact the State Department of Health Services. However, if you have a complaint against any particular doctor of the hospital then you should contact the State Medical Board.

In situations where hospitals or medical professionals have ignored and rejected the claims of the consumers, they can exercise their consumer rights and take their case to consumer forums. Consumers can register a complaint in the nearest police station and the State Medical Council.

Moreover, if the main aim of the patient is to seek compensation, then a patient should file a consumer complaint as this way the case can be finished at the earliest possible date.

In order to validate the complaint the consumer needs to collect all the medical records they have received. According to the Medical Council of India, the patient is supposed to get all medical records within 72 hours from the time and date of the appointment.

1. File a complaint with Police & State Medical Council:

A complaint must be filed against any kind of medical negligence with the local police and the State Medical Council. The police are supposed to send it to the State Medical Council first. The Council then checks if the complaint is justified or not and a case is transferred to different consumer courts according to the nature of the case.

If the council finds out that the patient's condition is serious then the doctor’s license is suspended for a particular period and according to proof and witnesses, judgment is given.

If the consumer is not satisfied with the judgment given by the council then it can appeal to the Medical Council of India. If still the consumer is not happy with the judgment then they can appeal for their disputes to the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission.

2. Send Legal Notice:
A patient can send legal notice to Doctors or Hospitals in case they are unable to resolve his complaint via Medical Council. Taking legal action is one of the efficient ways to handle the issue legally. Check below to know how to send a legal notice to a doctor / hospital?

Step 1: Firstly, get a legal notice drafted by a lawyer.
Step 2: Check it properly and make sure it is signed by a lawyer.
Step 3: Keep a copy of it for future purposes.
Step 4: Send the legal notice to the Doctor / Hospital by registered post.
Step 5: Keep the slip or delivery report for evidence.

3. File consumer forum case:
Consumer forum deals with consumer complaints and you should approach the consumer forum if you feel that your rights as a consumer have been violated. The consumer courts help the patients to get the eligible compensation for the damage caused to them. Please note that consumer courts can not punish the doctor or medical practitioner who is guilty, it can only provide the compensation.

If a doctor or a hospital is not responding to your complaints even after sending legal notice by a lawyer then you should file a case against them in a consumer court.

Here is how you can file a case in the consumer court?

Step 1: Intimate the aggrieved party via legal notice.
Step 2: Draft the consumer complaint
Step 3: Attach all the relevant documents and proofs to support your complaint.
Step 4: Select the appropriate consumer court for filing the complaint.
Step 5: Pay the prescribed court fee that is required to be paid along with the complaint.
Step 6: Submit the case along with the affidavit & fees in the court.

If you feel uncomfortable doing all this yourself, then you should use the services provided by Voxya to take legal action against the doctor or hospital. We can send Legal Notice and prepare a Case for filing in consumer court.

Most Common Issue Reported for Medical Complaints

Medical Negligence

Medicine Delivery issues

Unjustified Bills

Improper Diagnosis

Wrong treatment

Denial of Cashless treatment (Star Health And Allied Insurance Co Ltd ) ^Open

My father was admitted in Hoapital due to some ailments and we informed Star Health about admission. We had taken a Star Health Senior Citizen Red Carpet policy and are paying around ** thousand per year for more than * years. Star Health has d...

Jul 27, 2022 by Mathew Sam

I make my payment but they denied (Apollo Pharmacy) ^Open

Hello, this is Abhijit Pramanik, my registered phone number is **********. I went to an apollo pharmacy Retailer Store ( Nager Bazar, Kolkata ) today, I have to buy a medicine name- Paxonil Plus **.* gm. As because this is RX Medicine I cannot...

Jul 04, 2022 by Abhijit Pramanik

Less payment in mediclaim reiumbersement (Md India Health Insurance Tpa) ^Open

Respected Sir, I have a mediclaim of rs **,**,***. I am LIC employed in Gujarat. Total claim amount rs *,**,***/- I received only *,**,***/- Since one year has been elapsed yet my mediclaim is not settled. I have sent * to * reminders about ...

Jun 12, 2022 by KAMAL RATANLAL ADTANI

Paid service from naukri and sent offer letter from cipla (Cipla Pharmaceuticals) ^Open

First I got cl from naukri as naukri paid service and asked me to send **** for this (Neha hr naukri-**********) and then they connected me to cipla team for interview for the post clinical research and i attended and next day i got job confirm...

May 23, 2022 by Amulya k

Got cheated by Decors Shop for Mosquito Mesh (Laksshmi Decors Home Designs) ^Open

In our Native village, there are lot of insects and mosquitos around the house and as it is summer we planned to put Mosquito Mesh to the windows and the main door. As part of that I have reached on of the Decors shop in Tirupathi recommended b...

May 15, 2022 by Sagar varma

Cancelled program big amount deducted while making refund (Trueweight ) ^Open

My wife had enrolled for a * month Weight Loss Program for **,***/- with Truewright (now Possible). The program is a combination of coaching and health foods. She made the payment on **th December and got the welcome email on **th. She also got...

Apr 29, 2022 by Anudeep Nagalia

Apollo pharmacy and apollo pharmacy land craft Ghaziabad (Apollo Pharmacy and apollo pharmacy land craft Ghaziabad ) ^Open

I Have Ordered AP ORTHOPAEDIC HEAT PAD But To My Surpise It Was Damaged Piece Delivered To Me And When I Informed The Store They Told That They Are Helpless And Cannt Replace My Product And Then I Called Customer Care Executive And He Suggested...

Apr 20, 2022 by Mayank Gupta

Fraud Cheating Absconded ( Fitness Science Elite) ^Open

The annual gym membership was paid for their Perambur, Chennai location franchise on *th August **** as a part payment after repeated pressure from their sales executive woman. Then made the remaining payment on *th September **** and had...

Apr 19, 2022 by Jithendra Babu

Against Health Care Systems Fraud OPD policy Agent (Health Care Service Noida) ^Open

Dear Ma'am/Sir, With the above-mentioned subject, I would like to submit my grievances against the Healthcare Services (https://www.healthcareservices.org.in/) which duped me in the name of OPD health reimbursement services. The sequence ...

Apr 19, 2022 by Bharat S

Fraud by apollo pharmacy (Apollo Pharmacy and apollo pharmacy land craft Ghaziabad ) ^Open

I have ordered AP ORTHOPAEDIC HEAT PAD but to my surpise it was damaged piece delivered to me and when i informed the store they told that they are helpless and cannt replace my product and then i called customer care executive and he suggested...

Apr 16, 2022 by Mayank Gupta

Medical negligence of Ford Hospital Patna Bihar caused patient death (Ford hospital patna Bihar) ^Open

My Sister Mrs. Shwet Nisha Rani(patient Regn.ID IPD-****) was admitted at Ford hospital Patna(adderss New Bypass NH-** , Khemnichak , PO - New Jaganpura, PS - Ramkrishna Nagar Patna – ******,Bihar) on **.**.**** at **.** AM with pregnancy rel...

Apr 05, 2022 by Rupesh Kumar

Damaged Item (Netmeds.com) ^Open

Got a damaged item. Seal was broken. Packaging was open. Sent complaint mail with pictures to Netmeds, they are lying they haven’t received. Hence no action taken. Customer care executives giving fake ticket numbers and harassing me...

Mar 31, 2022 by Parvathy Ramachandran

Delaying refund for two months (Myprotein India) ^Open

The order was cancelled on **th of Jan and have been following with their customer service for almost two months. They keep saying we have processed the refund and when I ask for the receipt they say sorry we are still doing it, give us a few m...

Mar 14, 2022 by Ramya

Glow and lovely side effects (Hindustan Unilever Ltd) ^Open

Usually I Don't Apply Any Cream On My Face. So On Aug **** I Applied Glow And Lovely Cream On My Face After Few Minutes I Felt Little Itchiness On The Neck But Ignored It ,Because I Didn't Had Clue It's Because Glow And Lovely Cream .I Was In M...

Mar 07, 2022 by Swapna

Negligence from KANVA HOSPITAL in treating my mother (Kanva Hospital Raichur) ^Open

I would like to bring to your kind notice that, my mother by name Arunajyothi, **y/ F , was admitted in KANVA HOSPITAL SUPER SPECIALITY CENTER,RAICHUR on **/**/**. She was diagnosed with acute severe pancreatitis with septic shock. The treating...

Feb 25, 2022 by NAGARAJ REDDY

Package not delivered (Netmeds.com) ^Open

I ordered medicine for my wife. She was pregnant.they delivered two packages. But they still didn't deliver one package....

Feb 22, 2022 by pathem venkatesh

Vadapazhani branch Jaison For blood urine ECG xray tests are taken but they taking only blood and u (Aarthi Scan Vadapazhani customer service) ^Open

Vadapazhani branch Jaison and Raj his senior cheating customers: For rs*** blood urine ECG xray tests are taken but they taking only blood and urine tests and cheating customers stating that only if customer asks we will do xray and ECG for sam...

Feb 19, 2022 by Mahesh

Medical negligence resulting into death of patient (Esra hospital) ^Open

My granny was complaining about lungs infection. The doctor did not treat her properly which lead to death. The report's were out by *.** am in the morning but the doctor started the treatments after * hours....

Feb 15, 2022 by Mohammed Abdul

SHIPMENT NOT DELIVERED (Gamma Industries Jrc Tower Tagore Nagar Dashmesh Nagar Jalandhar Punjab) ^Open

I had purchased * nos Fitness Equipment from the Official Website of GAMMA INDUSTRIES, URL: gammagym.com on **th September ****. Details of Online Purchase: *.Adjustable Squat Rack With Spotters SS-** (SKU **** Quantity * Price Rs. ****.** *. H...

Feb 10, 2022 by PRAGYAN TALUKDAR

Mysterious Death of a sport horse in united riders barn (United riders barn Hennur bangalore) ^Open

Regarding the mysterious death of my FEI approved horse Frenchman and necropsy was conducted with the help of a non doctor to erase the evidences of death by stable owner Nitin Gupta without owners permission ...

Feb 01, 2022 by Surekha paval

Vibes healthcare not returning advance (Vibes healthcare limited) ^Closed

Due to Pandemic i required money urgently but vibes is not returning the money i have not availed any services ...

Aug 13, 2020 by Aniket

Delay the order fr to not seriously care for my order as per email just reply goal goal message (Netmeds.com) ^Closed

Dear Sir, I would like to inform you that I have ordered a medicine from **st july **** still now not received this product. The above mentioned order id has total medicine devided * part, first * part received as per promises time cause they...

Aug 13, 2020 by Raju Sen

Fake medison and using abusive words (Krishna pharma) ^Closed

Dear Sir, Greetings of the day! *st order on **/July order placed: I have placed an order to Mr. Gagan choudhary, neon termin. Half of the bottles are fake and the same has been informed to Mr. Gagan. He apologized and thould me ...

Aug 13, 2020 by Vignesh

Faulty product delivered and reimbursement was not done (Takshila opticals Andheri east mumbai) ^Closed

We purchased a crizal lens from this shop, we were given assurance of the quality and reimbursement. However the product was faulty, we did not accept the product and asked for reimbursement. we were asked to wait and then after numerous follow...

Aug 12, 2020 by Alkesh sharma

Hospital Not providing information on RTI (Max Healthcare Mohali phase 6 Punjab) ^Closed

I need Corona Report of test held on July ** and hospital is not providing details ...

Aug 12, 2020 by Abhilash Sharma

Medical negligence (Yogananda hospital ) ^Closed

Doctor has prescribed breastmilk stoping tablet after getting covid positive report. Covid will go after ** days but doctors stopped breast milk completely. Now baby is suffering without milk. ...

Aug 11, 2020 by Ramya

No information about my purchased order and no tracking facilities (HealthKing India ) ^Closed

...

Aug 10, 2020 by Mamta

Ordered Package not delivered no response (Huda Beauty foundation) ^Closed

Had ordered a huda foundation in March , paid online amount ****/- , but there is no response after that till date. Coudnt even find the site anywhere...fixchase.com....

Jul 30, 2020 by Imran khan

Refund not recieved (Medlife) ^Closed

I have ordered medicine in medlife worth Rs **** on **th July ****....**.** a.m. it's almost * days I have still not received the refund. Whenever I call the customer care each one of them says a different thing that it would be refunded within...

Jul 30, 2020 by ANTARA GHOSH

Refund Amout not yet received (Medlife) ^Closed

The order has been delivered on **st July'**** on the modified order from Medlife's end due to our of stock such items but I had paid for the Actual Order which was greater than the modified one. Hence the refund amount has still not yet been r...

Jul 30, 2020 by SANJOY BOSR

Refund not received (Medlife) ^Closed

I haven't received a refund of *** for my lab test which was done in May ****. Order id : ******* My money was deducted twice....

Jul 29, 2020 by ruchita kapdule

Not sending the correct Prescription (Medlife Labs) ^Closed

I had purchased medicines to be sent to my mother who is stuck in the UAE due to the pandemic. She's a ** years old patient with Wheezing, cholesterol, thyroid, blood clotting issues. When i ordered the medicines online there was a doctor who h...

Jul 27, 2020 by reena k j

Frod (Tulsi Memorial Hospital ) ^Closed

maine tulsi memorial hospital ka number google se surch kiya or phir call ki (+************) nurologist ke bare me puch tach ke liy hospital me number resive hua or bola **:**pe dr milenge but usse phle ap ko apontment lena hoga jiska charge * ...

Jul 26, 2020 by Rahul

Reuest for putting number in DND (Medlife) ^Closed

i have told the cordinator of medlife to put my number in DND bit inspiye of telling them thrise they are not putting it. and makin a call ** times a day..inspite of cutting the call from my side as it is very irritating ..........

Jul 16, 2020 by Rahul Singh

MEDLIFE not returning my 925 Rs (Medlife) ^Closed

I ordered medicines of *** Rs. on MEDLIFE for which I already paid online they cancelled every medicine in the order and now are sending only one medicine of Rs *** and for which they are demanding payment also on the other hand they have refus...

Jul 14, 2020 by ADITYA AGRAWAL

Expired product delivered (Healthxp) ^Closed

I ordered an OPTIMUM NUTRITION BRAND'S whey protein *.*lbs from HEALTHXP.IN website . I recieved this product on july *,**** which was manufactured in **** and gonna expire in aug ****.how come they don't have quality check mechanism. Who on ea...

Jul 07, 2020 by Om parkash

Medical Negligence (Manipal Hospitals HAL Bangalore) ^Closed

Hi team, I want to lodge a complaint against the negligence faced by us in Manipal Hospitals. Kindly look into the below and assist. My father, Ashok Patel was brought to Manipal hospital in HAL Bangalore on the **th of June around *.** P...

Jul 06, 2020 by Heena Patel

Medical Test by Hindustan Wellness (Hindustan Wellness) ^Closed

I got a blood test done for vitamin B and vitamin D in Dec ****. The person who gor the sample was eating pan or pan masala or something, could not soeak properly. He injected the needle wrong way when told started arguing. When I compalined to...

Jul 06, 2020 by Deepika Rawat

Refund not processed (mednear.com) ^Closed

I ordered few medicines on **.**.** worth ****/- . the order was not confirmed till **.**.**. I called customer care on **.**.** and they told that the medicines that i have ordered are not available with them and they are cancelling my order. ...

Jul 04, 2020 by Puja

Operation mistake by doctor (Dr Nirvikalp Agrawal Brij Chikitsa Sansthan ) ^Closed

My femur got fracture in a road accident on **/**/**** .i admit in brij chikitsa sansthan on **/**/****.dr.nirvikalp Agrawal do my operation on **/**/**** and discharge me on **/**/****.i have taken all the medicines prescribed by doctor and ta...

Jul 01, 2020 by Akhil Mittal