Between:-Consumer Case No. 412/2008
Smt. C.Prameela, W/o. C.S.Reddy,
Aged 46 years, Occ: Housewife,
R/o.MIG-71, Mehidipatnam,
Hyderabad. ……Complainant
And
1.M/s. Sathya Diagnostic Centre
Rep. by its Managing Director,
# 3-6-142/5, Sathya Towers,
Himayath Nagar, Hyderabad.
2.Dr.V.Sasidhar Prasad,
C/o. Sathya Diagnostic Centre,
# 3-6-142/5, Sathya Towers,
Himayath Nagar, Hyderabad.
3. Dr. A. Vijay Kumar, C/o. Sathya Diagnostic Centre
# 3-6-142/5, Sathya Towers,
Himayath Nagar, Hyderabad-500029.
4. Dr.Bharath Reddy, C/o. Sathya Diagnostic Centre
# 3-6-142/5, Sathya Towers,
Himayath Nagar, Hyderabad-500029. ... Opposite Parties
This case coming on this day for final hearing before this Forum in the presence of Sri K.Rama Reddy, and Sri Ch.Siva Reddy, advocate for the opposite parties and having stood over till this date for consideration, this Forum pronounced the following:-
O R D E R
1. This is a complaint filed by the complainant under section 12 of the C.P. Act 1986 seeking a direction against opposite parties to pay Rs.5,00,000/- towards deficiency in service as well as causing mental agony and to pay Rs.10,000/- towards costs and damages.(per Hon’ble Member, Smt. Lakshmi Makena, on behalf of the Bench)
2. The case of the complainant as set out in the complaint in brief is that opposite party No.1 has approached the complainant’s husband, who is the Chief Manager of Syndicate Bank, Lingampalli Branch, Hyderabad canvassing a scheme called Syndicate Bank Employee’s and Spouse’s Master Health Check up and offered a special package tariff for the said Bank employees and their spouses for conducting investigations and various tests.
3. The complainant’s husband paid Rs.2,500/- towards the said scheme to opposite party No.1, who issued a receipt dated 21-12-2007 and registering her husband’s number as 30623 of 2007 and that of her as 30624 of 2007.
4. When the complainant and her husband approached opposite party No.1, they conducted certain tests in the scheme of executives. Opposite party No.1 conducted Pap Smear test to the complainant but did not give any report inspite of several visits by them to opposite party No.1.
5. opposite party has given a report signed by opposite party No.2 though no test was contacted relating to Mammography of both breasts. Further, in all the reports the complainant’s name was mentioned as Mrs. C. Praveena instead of Mrs. C. Prameela. Opposite party No.1 refused to correct the name in the report. However, the registration number was correctly mentioned in the reports. Without conducting the referred test, which was not covered under the scheme of the executives, issued a false report duly signed by opposite party No.2 to the effect that she was suffering with Fibro glandular parenchymal pattern inboth breasts. Such a false report created mental agony to the complainant and her family members.
6. The complainant got issued a legal notice to opposite parties, for which, a reply was issued admitting that no Mammography test was conducted on the complainant and that the report of another person was in inadvertently delivered to her and requested her not to take any legal action. The action on the part of the opposite parties amounts to deficiency in service. Hence the complaint.
7. The first opposite party filed a counter and opposite parties No.2 to 4 filed a memo adopting the counter of opposite party No.1. They admitted the scheme, the payment of package tariff by the complainant and her husband, and issuance of registration numbers etc., They also admitted that the Mammography test relating to the breast was not included in the above scheme and in fact no such test was conducted on her. It is also admitted that the complainant’s name was wrongly noted as C. Praveena instead of C. Prameela and also admitted that the correct Registration number was noted in the reports.
8. The case of the opposite parties is that on the same day another person by name smt. K. Prameela also under went several tests under the same scheme and for her the Mammography test was also included. The said test was conducted on her. There were several patients under the scheme. However, the Mammography test report pertaining to Smt. K. Prameela was inadvertently put in the Lab test reports of the complainant. The report of K. Prameela was inadvertently sent to the complainant.
9. It is further pleaded that the complainant should not have been put to any mental agony as she had never undergone Mammography test. The husband of the complainant refused to receive the Pap smear test report of the complainant and went away creating of scene at the Diagnostic Centre. It is further pleaded that there is no deficiency in service and all tests were conducted properly. The complainant made a big issue for the small mistake that occurred at the delivery counter. This petition is filed with a malafide intention to extract money. It was purely a human error but not negligent Act or deficiency in service. She did not substantiate any monitory loss and as such this complainant is liable for dismissal.
10. The Points that arise for Consideration are:-
1. Whether there is any deficiency in service on the part of the opposite party? and, if so, whether the complainant is entitled for any compensation? and, if so, to what amount?
2. To what relief ?
11. To substantiate her case, the complainant has chosen to file her evidence affidavit and relied on Exs. A1 to A 13. On the other hand, the opposite parties filed the evidence affidavit of opposite party No.2 and relied on Exs.B1 to B12. Both sides filed the written arguments and also advanced oral arguments.
12. Point No.1:-Practically, the facts as narrated in the complaint are admitted by the opposite parties except two. The first is with regard to non delivery of the report pertaining to Pap smear test to the complainant and secondly the mistaken delivery of the investigation report relating to Mammography pertaining to one Smt. K.Prameela to the complainant.
13. With regard to the first disputed pointed of non furnishing of the Pap smear test report, the opposite parties admitted that the complainant under went the said test but according to them the complainant herself refused to receive the same. It is an admitted fact that the complainant underwent several tests on the relevant day and received the reports of all those tests except the Pap smear test. The burden is on the opposite parties to establish that the complainant, who received all the other test reports, refused to receive the pap smear test. There is absolutely no evidence or explanation in that regard on behalf of the opposite parties. It is unbelievable that the complainant refused to receive the said report having undergone the said test. She would not have refused to receive only one test report after receiving all the other remaining test reports. According to the opposite parties, the husband of the complainant refused to receive said report and went away after creating a scene at the opposite party Diagnostic Centre. The opposite parties could not elaborate as to why the complainant’s husband refused to receive Pap smear test alone. It is only a concocted story introduced by the opposite parties to cover up their latches in not furnishing the Pap smear test report. Non furnishing of the said report amounts to deficiency in service on the part of the opposite parties as they received necessary test charges from the complainant’s husband under the scheme.
14. The second disputed point is with regard to mistaken delivery of Mammography report of a 3rd party to the complainant. Even on this issue also, the burden is on the opposite parties to prove that they were not at fault and were not negligent or deficiency in service. The only explanation offered by the opposite parties is that on the relevant day, as there were number of patients and as the name of K.Prameela matched with the name of the complainant, there was an error and mistake on their part in handing over the Mammography report of the said 3rd party to the complainant. According to the complainant, it is a deliberate act, which ultimately resulted in serious mental agony not only to her but also to all her family members. The contention of the opposite parties is that the complainant or her family members should not have suffered any mental agony as she never under went Mammography test and that they could have ignored that report.
15. We cannot justify the action of the opposite parties. They know pretty well that the registration number of the complainant is different from that of the said 3rd party. So, they should have been more careful in furnishing the reports to the concerned patients. We cannot appreciate that there was a mistaken delivery of the report of some one else to the complainant. It is not an ordinary report or a report containing no serious adverse results. The report of Mammography of both breasts furnished to the complainant under Ex.A3(Ex.B11) recites in bold letters as “IMP: FIBROGLANDULAR PARENCHYMAL PATTERN IN BOTH BREASTS”. Such a report must have caused serious mental agony not only to the complainant but also to all her family members. As already noted, it is not a normal condition but an abnormal and dreadened one. The abnormality of Fibroglandular Parenchymal Pattern was observed in both breasts. Such a report naturally takes any humanbeing into depression. They go on thinking that something bad and a fatal one would occur in future. Thus the opposite parties were clearly negligent in their action and their negligence resulted in causing serious mental agony and tension to the complainant and her family members.
16. In the light of the finding in paras SUPRA, we arrive at a conclusion that the opposite parties were not only negligent in their deeds but also were deficient in their service. Their action must have caused serious mental agony and tension to the complainant. So, we feel it ’just’ to award adequate compensation to the complainant. The complainant claimed compensation of Rs.5,00,000/- towards deficiency in service and for causing mental agony, but we consider it to be too high. The ends of Justice would be met if, we award the compensation of Rs.1,00,000/- by way of compensation. We also direct the opposite parties to pay Rs.2,000/-towards costs. The opposite parties are jointly and severally liable to pay the sum directed.
17. Point No.2:- In the result, the complaint is allowed in part. The opposite parties are directed to pay Rs.1,00,000/-(Rupees One Lakh only) by way of compensation and Rs.2,000/-(Rupees Two thousands only) by way of costs to the complainant.


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