Nurse in Udupi gets Rs 13.49 lakh compensation after diagnostic error costs overseas job
Udupi (Karnataka), Jun 23 (PTI): A senior Nurse in Udupi was on Monday awarded Rs 13.49 lakh in compensation by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission after she lost a job opportunity in Saudi Arabia due to a false hepatitis C diagnosis.
Shivakumar Shettigar, 43, a qualified industrial nurse from Udupi, was slated to join the United Medical Response Company in the gulf nation this February.
However, a pre-departure medical test conducted at the National CT Scanner and Diagnostic Center in Mangaluru incorrectly indicated that he was positive for Hepatitis C, a condition that disqualifies candidates under Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) medical norms.
Distressed by the result, Shettigar underwent follow-up testing at a private lab in Manipal and at the district government hospital in Udupi, both of which confirmed he was negative.
Alleging negligence and the use of faulty kits, Shettigar moved the consumer forum, claiming the lab’s error cost him not only the job but also significant emotional and financial distress.
According to a court directive, after examining evidence and hearing both parties, the commission ruled in Shettigar’s favour on May 21, 2025, directing the diagnostic centre to pay Rs 13.49 lakh in damages within 45 days, with a 6 per cent annual interest applicable in case of default.
The compensation amount accounts for three years of lost income (estimated at Rs 82,584 per month), in addition to medical costs and mental agony.
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Mamata demands PM's apology over 'Bankim da' remark in Lok Sabha
Cooch Behar (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he has insulted novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by calling him "Bankim da".
Addressing a rally in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee said the PM was not even born when the country achieved Independence and yet chose to address one of Bengal's greatest cultural icons casually.
"You did not even show him the minimum respect he deserves. You should apologise for this, to the nation," she said.
The flashpoint was PM's reference to the author during a discussion in Lok Sabha on Monday to commemorate 150 years of the national song, Vande Mataram, written by Chattopadhyay.
TMC MP Saugata Roy objected to the use of the suffix 'da' and urged the PM to say 'Bankim babu' instead.
Modi immediately accepted the sentiment, saying, "I will say Bankim 'babu'. Thank you, I respect your sentiments," and asked in a lighter vein whether he could still address Roy as 'dada'.
Targeting the BJP, Banerjee claimed that it will destroy Bengal's culture, language and heritage if it comes to power in the state.
She also claimed that the assembly elections in the state will be declared soon after publication of the final electoral rolls following the SIR exercise, so that no one can challenge it in court.
