Karachi: A consumer court in Karachi has imposed a Rs1.68 million fine on Aga Khan University Hospital after ruling that a faulty laboratory test wrongly declared a Karachi businessman Hepatitis-C positive, an error the court said amounted to gross negligence and caused severe mental shock and distress.
Soon after the verdict, Aga Khan University Hospital said it had taken note of the decision and would exercise its legal right to appeal before the appropriate higher forum.
In a brief statement, the hospital said that as the matter was under legal consideration, it would not be appropriate to comment further, adding that it remained committed to the highest standards of patient care, diagnostic quality and ethical practice.
The ruling was delivered by the Consumer Protection Court Karachi in Case No. 25 of 2021, filed by Saif-ur-Rehman, a Karachi-based businessman, against Aga Khan University Hospital Clifton Medical Services for medical negligence and deficiency in service.
According to the complaint, a blood test conducted on March 25, 2021 at the hospital reported abnormal blood parameters along with a reactive Hepatitis-C (HCV) result, triggering severe anxiety, psychological trauma and professional disruption for the complainant.
However, subsequent repeat testing conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital itself, as well as at Dow Diagnostic Laboratory, showed completely normal results with no evidence of Hepatitis-C infection. Medical experts cited during the proceedings stated that such contradictory findings were scientifically impossible under normal circumstances, strongly indicating a laboratory error rather than a genuine clinical condition.
An investigation carried out by the Sindh Health Care Commission later confirmed that the incorrect report resulted from sample switching, which was attributed to inadequate verification and identification procedures within the laboratory system.
The court observed that during the proceedings the hospital failed to produce qualified laboratory professionals to explain or defend the testing process. Instead, administrative staff with no technical expertise were presented, a lapse the court said further weakened the hospital’s position.
In its judgment, the court ruled that issuing an incorrect reactive HCV report constituted gross negligence, particularly given the serious psychological impact, social stigma and long-term consequences associated with a Hepatitis-C diagnosis. The court noted that diagnostic laboratories are under a heightened duty of care, as patients have no option but to rely on the accuracy and integrity of test results.
The court awarded Rs1,680,000 in damages to compensate for mental agony, emotional distress and the disruption caused to the complainant’s personal and professional life.
Legal observers say the ruling sets an important precedent by reinforcing that healthcare services fall squarely within the ambit of consumer protection laws and that even premier medical institutions can be held accountable for diagnostic failures.
While Aga Khan University Hospital has indicated it will challenge the decision before a higher forum, the case has renewed debate within medical and regulatory circles about laboratory governance, quality control and patient safety standards in Pakistan.