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

Missing medicine not refunded (Pharmeasy in) ^Open

Dear Sir / Madam, I am writing to you to raise an issue about: Order medicines I placed my first Order with pharmeasy and Order was delivered on **th May **. Due to personal work, we opened it on **rd May and found * bottle of digene cost...

May 26, 2021 by Akash Vashisth

WRONG COVID 19 TEST REPORTING (AARTHI SCANS & LABS, Chennai) ^Open

We (Mahalakshmi S, Manoharan S N, Selvaraj P & Venkateshwari S) have given swab test for Covid ** on **.*.****. We got the report on **.*.**** stating that all four of us have tested Covid ** NEGATIVE. Meanwhile, the Corporation of Chennai have...

May 24, 2021 by MAHALAKSHMI S

Wrong medicine delivered and refund not received (Medlife.com) ^Open

On *rd may **** i ordered ludura *% cream from medlife which is of rs *** in medlife website and on *th may i recieved my package but the package i recieved is not the medicine that i order instead of ludura cream i received * packets of Olsar ...

May 24, 2021 by Ramesh Rawat

Order Cancelled by MedNear Did Not Refund Money (mednear.com) ^Open

I had ordered medicine online from MedNear on *th May **** for Rs. ****.**. The order was cancelled by MedNear on **th May ****. Till today **nd May, the money has not been refunded to my account....

May 22, 2021 by Bibhu Prasad Sahu

Overinflated charges and no detailed bill for Covid treatment (Good Samaritan Hospital) ^Open

Was admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital on **th April due to Covid complications and released on *th May. The total bill for the treatment was Rs. ******. In spite of several requests there was no detail bill or Investigation Reports with their...

May 18, 2021 by Anshu De

Talwalkar gym shut down PERMANENTLY (Talwalkars) ^Open

Hi, I had ** months left in my gym membership before Talwalkars - Vile Parle East, shutdown for business. i took the membership on **th February **** and have done the workout for only ** days whereafter since **th March **** there was natio...

May 12, 2021 by Bhagyashree Nahata

Not received order and company website is showing expired (Oximeter in) ^Open

I saw a website on instagram which shows oximeter at affordable price ,I opened that and order that oximeter from oximeter.in. I pay *** rs from phone pay and received confirmation of order . Now it's been more than * days I haven't received an...

May 09, 2021 by Yagya Bharat

Incorrect diagnostic report (Dr B Lal Clinical laboratory) ^Open

I received a incorrect report from Dr.B.Lal on *th MAy for a test D-Dimer for my mother wherein the score was >**** ng/ml which is was very high. Due to this we consulted many doctors and and tried getting my mother hospitalize but at the end w...

May 08, 2021 by Gourav Gupta

Hospital discharge without any proper treatment and check up (Sharma multihospital bhuwana) ^Open

Sir I admitted my father at sharma multihospital on * May with ** CT score they started treating at midnight after ** And now they discharge my father with ** oxygen saturation level . Me and my father covinance them to do whole check up pr...

May 07, 2021 by Sakeeb raza

Refund not Received (Medlife Healthcare Private Limited) ^Open

I ordered Medicines on **nd April ****. It was delivered to me in damaged condition on **rd April **** and accordingly it was returned to them on the same date. It reached to their warehouse on **th April ****. According to the customer care re...

May 07, 2021 by Swati chhabra

Salary not paid (Meru Pharmaceuticals) ^Open

Hello sir/madam. I have joined in a pharmaceutical company as AREA BUSINESS MANAGER & HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER on **-**-****. After availing my services and previous goodwill in the pharmaceutical market company has established well and getting g...

May 07, 2021 by RAJU KATKURI

Wrong report (Nikitha Scan Center) ^Open

I have undergone chest CT scan at Nikitha scan center, they have provided me with the film report by name Jitendar kumar, whereas my name is K. jeetander singh. I have asked the diagnostic center person about this but they said its my report bu...

May 06, 2021 by Jeetander singh kshatri

Delay Non delivery of products (Gamma Industries Jrc Tower Tagore Nagar Dashmesh Nagar Jalandhar Punjab) ^Open

I ordered various gym equipments - Power Rack, Bench, Barbell, Weight plates and paid in full on ** Apr ****. It was agreed by Mr. Shivam Chauhan that goods will be dispatched in ** days. Later he confirmed that all goods were shipped on ** Apr...

May 03, 2021 by Abhijeet Sardesai

Wrong Reports from Pathology lab (Jain Diagnostic centre Aligarh) ^Open

My mother is being tested(KFT) by Jain Diagnostic lab on **th April. In the report, the seum creatinine is *.*. Doctor said there is renal failure and you should seek advice from kidney specialist as soon as possible. Then we went to Dr. Taru...

May 01, 2021 by Mansi Agrawal

Amount not refunded (Medlife) ^Open

I have returned a product to medlife on **rd march ****. They told me that amount will be credited to my medlife wallet and I can transfer the same to my bank account but my wallet balance was showing zero. I called regarding the same, they tol...

Apr 24, 2021 by Naveen

Deficiency of service which was agreed to (Kolors Healthcare India Pvt Ltd) ^Open

Hello, I've signed up for complete skin peeling session for several body parts of mine, paid the whole amount as I was asked to persuaded to pay in the beginning and was assured ***% results in *sessions prescribed by them in the presence of m...

Apr 22, 2021 by Sarvani Srividya CH

Fraud treatments and medicine suggestions and wrong bills (Sankalpa super speciality hospital) ^Open

All * in our family tested covid positive in krishna adcanced MRI and ct.and we went to Sankalpa Super Speciality Hospital just for mild covid medication. No one in family has any severe issues just cough that's all. So we asked for medication...

Apr 22, 2021 by Abhilash

Package Not Delivered (HealthKart) ^Open

HealthKart Order Id HKA-*****-******** & Courier tracking ID is ************ It's been *-* day and still no package has been received for me. You say it's delivered but I have not gotten anything...

Apr 21, 2021 by Ankit Kumar

False promise to reverse diabetic in 3 days (SRI RAMA DENTAL WELLNESS ) ^Open

Approached for diabetic diet through naturopathy, promised to treat diabetic reversal in three days and collected an amount of Rupees *****/- from me through debit card transaction. I repeatedly asked before payment what type of the diet he is ...

Apr 19, 2021 by Kaviapu Sreenivasa Rao

Test report not delivered to till date (TENET MEDCORP PVT LTD ) ^Open

My wife has given blood samples on **th April, **** for a series of * tests. All the report except SARS - CoV - * IgG Antibody report has not been delivered to till date. I have called them on **th April, **** for the report and they haven't se...

Apr 18, 2021 by Mulagada Praneeth

Cheating by Vibes Healthcare (Vibes healthcare limited) ^Closed

I have opted for treatment from vibes gachibowli and they asked me to take a loan from their tied up merchant capital float for an amount of ***** INR. I provided my details to the vibes team for processing of loan but they reverted back to me ...

Oct 11, 2019 by Siva teja

Package not delivered (Pharmeasy) ^Closed

I ordered medicine through pharmeasy.in. At the time of placing the order they clearly mentioned the date of delivery will be on or before **-**-****. But order is not yet delivered. When I contacted their customer service several times regardi...

Sep 25, 2019 by Navaneeswar Rao B

Unwanted particles in sealed magic moment wine bottel (Redico Khaitan Ltd.) ^Closed

Sir I self buyed on **.**.** a sealed vodka magic moment wine ,but some unwanted paricles moving under sealed bottel so please take action against company it is totally manufacturing errer ...

Sep 24, 2019 by Rajesh kumar

Non execution of order (Medlife) ^Closed

I had ordered cardiac and blood pressure medicines from MedLife on **th Aug **. I followed up after a week about the status of delivery. I was told it was cancelled by them. When I asked for the reason they said they had no idea. The order was ...

Sep 04, 2019 by Dev Singh

Order delivery issue (1 mg) ^Closed

Actually I ordered medicines by online website *mg at **-*-**** (**.** pm) and it promises to deliver me on **-**-**** but I have not received any order on **-**-****. In website it's showing delivered when I went to file a complaint. There is ...

Sep 02, 2019 by Chetan

Practo has charged 500 extra for the lab test they have done with thyrocare (Practo) ^Closed

I recently booked a test and that has been done by throcare it's Arogyam-C which cost me around **** after discount but its original cost is only ****. This is really disappointing I can share proper links as well, refer below links for evidenc...

Jul 18, 2019 by Paramjeet Singh

Fraud by sdmh Jaipur (Sdmh jaipur) ^Closed

I have admitted sdmh Jaipur to **.**.**** to **.**.****. l am insured by SBI health policy. My hospital bill was Rs *****. The insurance company authorized Rs *****. They said extra charges have been deducted and you do not have to pay any more...

Jun 14, 2019 by Maya devi

Medical Negligence/Cheating Business (Rg Stone Urology & Laparoscopy Hospital) ^Closed

This is to draw your attention towards the fact that my father Mr Harinder Singh Arora was admitted to RG Stone Urological and Laparoscopy Hospital, Faridabad on **/**/** at **.** am. My father was diagnosed with gall bladder stone with the con...

May 20, 2019 by Manninder

Fake report provided for sample (Apollo Clinic) ^Closed

I had gone there on Saturday for **-hour urine protein of my wife. First, they said it is done here but it's not shown in the system. Then they somehow gave us the container. I deposited the container on Monday morning with **-hour urine while ...

May 19, 2019 by KUNAL GANDHI

Fraud company Netmeds.com (Netmeds.com) ^Closed

I have ordered more than *k medicine within *-* months and always delivery is the big issue. Never delivered on time and even they never call and say the delay in delivery. It is really disgusting and not acceptable. It is not material it is a ...

May 15, 2019 by Arun Gupta

Over billed by the hospital (Sri Ram Hospital) ^Closed

Nurse intentionally not given the correct treatment and overcharged bill. Please do the needful....

May 11, 2019 by Pradeep Kumar

Mediclaim reimbursement refused (Religare Health Insurance) ^Closed

Company refusing to pay the claim of breast cancer by misleading the information provided by us. Showing a disease which patient is not having. Asking OPD paper of that disease again and again. ...

May 02, 2019 by Rameshwari Devi

Worst services by the hospital (Sri Sri Holistic Hospital) ^Closed

I have visited a private hospital " Sri Sri Holistic hospitals" located in Nizampet road, Hyderabad for my mom's general check-up. The moment we arrived hospital staff is forcing us to get admitted for ** hrs without any reason. Then it has bee...

Apr 28, 2019 by Jay Krishna

Discrimination by the hospital (Hertaj hospital) ^Closed

The Hertaj hospital is one of the reputed hospitals of Amritsar where Dr Tejinder K Nagpal is respected for its medical consultation for gyno patients. I m very let down by the OPD service being given to common man. Everyone gets their number t...

Apr 27, 2019 by Paras Sethi

Doctor does christian evangelism rather than treating (Victoria Hospital) ^Closed

My sister is getting treatment in Victoria Hospital, Bangalore with Dr T N Revathi. I want to bring an unprofessional behaviour of Dr T N Revathi at Victoria hospital. Every time when my sister visits Dr Revathi doctor keeps asking to convert...

Apr 20, 2019 by M V Kishan

Package not delivered (Shopmeds.in) ^Closed

Order I'd:- SM*******D* Package not delivered despite online payment and not answering also....

Apr 15, 2019 by Pranjal Malik

Overcharged for treatment (Chinmaya Mission Hospital) ^Closed

Chinmaya has changed their rules wherein they do not allow male attenders for female patients in general and semi-private wards. Hence, I was forced to take a private ward. Please note, in my family, it's just me and my mother, my father passed...

May 31, 2018 by Abhishek Leonard

Arbitary charges and denial of service (Ansh Hospital) ^Closed

I am a family member of patient, i took the paitent to wockward hospital(mira road) to doctor Mahesh prasad (kidney specialist) .. We asked him about the patient condition .. He asked us to take patient to Ansh hospital for dialisis ( indralok ...

May 20, 2018 by Vivek Tiwari