Medico Legal Issues in Private

Hospitals
What Is a Medicolegal Case?
Any Medical case that may come before the
court of law at a later date.
Routinely
-Suicide
-Accidents-
RTA,Railway,Industrial,Fall,Electrocution
-Homicide,Assault
-Poisoning
-Brought Dead or Died on arrival
-Sexual Offences
 Any other case when a police complaint
is made at a later date
Admitted in the hospital as non MLC,
but patient or relative(s) or police allege
foul play at a later date. Eg:Coma-CMO
admits as non MLC;later consultants
after investigations diagnose as
traumatic head injury
 Exceptions to informing police:
Register as MLC but need not inform the
police.
1.Atempted suicide-patient recovering,homicide
not suspected
2.Patient gives a statement with signature and
thumb impession that there is no complaint
against anybody-self fall in the house,fall due
to skidding of vehicle.
 If the patients condition worsens or the
patient dies,inform the police.
Can a doctor, after registering
the case as MLC and informing
the police, cancel the MLC and
make it a Nil MLC?
 After admitting the case as MLC, by CMO,
Consultant after detailed examinations and
investigations, diagnoses as natural disease
Coma-CMO suspects head injury or
poisoning-MLC
Consultant diagnoses coma as being due to
meningitis, cerebrovascular accident due to
HTN
Inform the Police that it is a natural disease
and Nil ML
Medico legal Duties in the
Casualty
1.Treatment first as a case of emergency
2.Intimation to police-as discussed
3.Entering the details in the
medicolegal/accident register with
signature or thumb impression of the
patient.
4.Collection of materials for investigation-
blood,urine,stomach wash,etc
Medicolegal Duties In The
Wards
1.Collecting materials for investigation-
blood,urine samples,etc.
2.Assisting the police in taking statements from
patients in medicolegal cases-pt should be in
fit enough condition to give statement.
3.If the patients condition worsens or patient is
dying,make arrangements to take dying
declaration-certifying compos mentis status of
the patient to give declaration.
4.If the patient dies,inform the police. Do
not issue death certificate.
police will conduct inquest,arrange for
postmoterm and the doctor conducting
the P.M. will issue the death certificate
5.If the patient is cured and to be
discharged inform the police
Maintainence of Records in
Medicolegal Cases
Write in detail
Conduct all necessary investigations and write
the reports in the case sheets.Keep the
reports along with the case sheets.
Keep the x-rays,CT scans,MRI,etc along with
the case sheets. Do not hand over to
the patient-these may be needed to be
given to the police or court at a later date.
Attending courts..
Criminal cases-
(attendance compulsary,no fees to be
charged.)
Ex:Wound certificates by
CMOs,consultants and other treating
doctors regarding treatment
given,operation performed in criminal
cases.
 Civil cases-
(dispute between two private parties)-
attendance not compulsary and can charge
doctors fees
Ex:compensation cases,insurance cases,etc
Doctors are expert witnesses who are usually
called to give evidence in magistrate and
sessions courts.
 Called to attend the courts through summons
(summons-document compelling the
attendance of a witness-doctor-in a court of
law on a particular date and time for the
purpose of giving evidence.It may require
you to bring all the records of the patient
with you.)
Unless you have very valid reasons you have
to obey the summons.