The Maharashtra consumer commission has ordered Wockhardt Hospital in Maharashtra's Nashik to pay Rs 18 lakh to the family of a deceased after observing deficiency in service for delaying the transfer of a young patient to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which ultimately led to his death, news agency PTI reported.

Patients have a "right to receive competent care and that too, in time as required", the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission stated in its order, passed earlier this month. The hospital has been directed to pay a compensation of Rs 18 lakh to the victim's family for mental agony and harassment.

According to the complaint filed by the victim's father, his son was admitted to Wockhardt Hospitals in Nashik on April 15, 2010, after suffering a nosebleed. The complainant claimed that his son's condition significantly deteriorated in the early hours of April 16, when he complained of chest pain and uneasiness after collapsing while going to the bathroom.