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

Patient not satisfied (karma ayurveda) ^Open

my mother is suffering from kidney failure.my mom went to karma ayurveda delhi for treatment then doctors said you will be fine in * months.They took Rs ***** from my mom.I also called them to confirm is there any guarantee for * months treatme...

Oct 23, 2022 by sonia

Incorrect report for USG provided extra charged to get the report (WellMark Hospital) ^Open

Visited with my ** weeks pregnant wife to get USG color Dopper test as prescribed by doctors at BGH. To get report we were asked to pay extra ₹ **** to get the report. More to the shock, the report provided has serious contradicting statement...

Oct 11, 2022 by Atul Chandra Prakash

No refund policy of Cult Fit (Cult Fit Or Cure Fit) ^Open

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Oct 10, 2022 by Pravanjan Patra

Deficiency in Service (Sesa Ayurvedic Private Limited) ^Open

I am writing this with much disappointment to inform you about Sesa Care Private Limited’s substandard services. I placed a prepaid order “Ayurvedic Hair Vitaliser Combo for Men” from their official e-commerce portal “sesacare.com” on...

Oct 08, 2022 by Diganta Pramanik

Package not delivered (Ydhya myshopify) ^Open

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Sep 26, 2022 by Rashmika M

EVEN Health Care Cancellation of Membership (Even Healthcare) ^Open

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Sep 02, 2022 by Veeresh RV

Order not delivered (Medi2all Com) ^Open

Dear sir I have placed order on Medi*all.Com.Order #MA****** and MA****** was placed on July **, **** but my order not delivered.i had made payment through credit card. Order related to infant formula milk similar advance stage *.I need my ...

Aug 27, 2022 by Nooreen Husain

Package not delivered (Kolors Health Care) ^Open

Unsatisfactory service. Inefficient staff. Lazy therapists . Fault y machines....

Aug 26, 2022 by Shanthi Venugopal

Package not received (Oziva) ^Open

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Aug 25, 2022 by Jyoti chopra

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

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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

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May 23, 2022 by Amulya k

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

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

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Apr 29, 2022 by Anudeep Nagalia

Fraud Cheating Absconded ( Fitness Science Elite) ^Open

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Apr 19, 2022 by Jithendra Babu

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

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Apr 19, 2022 by Bharat S

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

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Apr 05, 2022 by Rupesh Kumar

Damaged Item (Netmeds.com) ^Open

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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

VIDE THIS ORDER REF MEDLIFE NOT DELUVERED MEDICINE AFTER 7 DAYS OVER AND ALSO INCOMPLETE ORDER (Medlife Healthcare Private Limited) ^Closed

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Jun 01, 2020 by R CHATTERJEE

Refund not received and no response for my calls and emails since two months (Medlife) ^Closed

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May 15, 2020 by Ankuareddy ramchander rao

Medicine not delivered since 7 days (Medlife) ^Closed

I have ordered medicine from medlife and the scheduled delivery date was * may but I have not received it yet on * may. The medicines were quite urgent....

May 07, 2020 by Ashok Kumar Roy

Mask sold at exorbitant price (Alagu Pharmacy Rs Puram) ^Closed

I has purchased * care now face mask who's actually price is Rs *** each. But then this pharmacy is selling these mask at Rs **** each. The product didn't have the price mentioned. But then the pharmacy had thier own pricing label on it of Rs *...

May 07, 2020 by Kamlesh Bohra

For payment refund (Netmeds ) ^Closed

I had cancelled my order and my order I'd is *****************M. * days completed to cancellation of this order but my refund not done....

May 01, 2020 by Ajay Singh

REFUND NOT GOT IN CRISIS (Accu -check) ^Closed

II HAVE NOT GOT REFUND I ORDERED ACCUCHECK STRIPS AND LANCET IN COVID** CRISIS ON ** MARCH ****...

Apr 20, 2020 by RISHI CHAUHAN

Medicine TELNYLE 40 AM (Apollo Pharmacy) ^Closed

Dear Sir, I have ordered medicine Telnyle AM from Apollo pharmacy on **th March **** Vide order no ********* amount Rs ***/ After receiving the order they are not delivering the medicine. I have asked them to cancel and order and make refund ...

Apr 20, 2020 by ABDUL AYUB

Prannath hospital ved road surat during covid 19 lockdown in normal cases of illness Hospital (Prannath Hospital) ^Closed

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Apr 03, 2020 by Xys

Product not received (Green pharma) ^Closed

I ordered for ** N** masks on ** March **** but till date haven't received the same.. I tried to get in touch with the seller (Green Pharma) multiple times on their registered email but no response from their end as well. Now I am seeking the r...

Mar 21, 2020 by Shahid Rafiq Bhat

No responsibility from company (Colmed in) ^Closed

I ordered few Hand sanitizers as a precautionary measure against Corona. But they didn't ship it, i asked for a refund. They told me that refund will be initiated and you'll have to wait for two days and then you'll receive an email with refun ...

Mar 12, 2020 by Jithu Kuriakose

Package not delivered (Medlife) ^Closed

I ordered my medicines from medlife. The estimate time for receiving the medicines was ** mar. ** and today I got the message about the medicines that it is out for deliverery but now person who was going to deliver is refusing that their is so...

Mar 10, 2020 by Vinayak joshi

Blood samples and fees taken but not given reports (Medlife) ^Closed

I had booked * tests for my sister i.e creatinine, CRP and HLA B**. I got reports for creatinine and CRP but did not get report for HLA B**, the most expensive test of the lot. The samples have been taken on *st March and today is the *th of Ma...

Mar 06, 2020 by Deepak Kishor Nagpal

Parking charges in hospitals (Kims Hospital Kondapur) ^Closed

They have a very big place for parking still they are charging ₹** even if its **mins. We are paying thousands of ruppes in the form of registration, consultation lab tests etc. On top of it they are again charging this hefty amount for parki...

Feb 25, 2020 by Manoj kumar reddy Pakanati

No refund from www dentalbasket in (Triodent Meditech India Pvt Ltd) ^Closed

*. I have placed an order No.**** at www.dentalbasket.in for an amount of Rs.***** (Rupees Forty Four Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Five only) on ** Feb ** via Payumoney Transaction ID. ********* . Dental basket functions under Triodent Medi...

Feb 25, 2020 by Ronen M

Defective product absolutely no response (Nightingales A Mahindra company) ^Closed

I purchased CPAP Machine, a medical equipment, this is defective plus never supplied any warranty card. This machine also looks illegal import and never responded to my mails to them...

Feb 11, 2020 by Divyesh Shah

Refund denied (Pharmeasy) ^Closed

I have ordered one DR MOREPEN BG ** * METER + ** STRIPS on **st December and get it delivered on *th January. After opening the package I found that the glucometer is missing from the package and I immediately raised a complaint through the cus...

Feb 04, 2020 by SEPHALI MISHRA

Irresponsible Hospital and Doctors (Fortis Hospital) ^Closed

I had the most worst experience at Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh. The hospital and its staff is very irresponsible and doctor Pankaj Sharma is the worst and inexperienced I have ever came across in my life. I booked appointment with Head Of...

Jan 27, 2020 by Darshana

Cheating fraud (Khatu shyam ayurveda products indore) ^Closed

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Jan 11, 2020 by MENGA RAKESH

Medical Billing (Prathima Hospitals Private Limited) ^Closed

I have taken for check up for first time due to emergency as the doctor Treating my wife is out of Station.Nothing fault is there they have asked admit for one day .we have joined for one day next day medical treatment like scaning,blood tests,...

Jan 06, 2020 by LakshmiNarayana

Service not received as mentioned (VLCC) ^Closed

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Jan 02, 2020 by Aakansha Gandhi