KARACHI: A consumer court has imposed a fine of Rs250,000 on a doctor for selling a diet plan to a patient that adversely affected her health.

Judicial Magistrate Fahmida Sahoowal of the Consumer Protection Court (East) pronounced her judgement reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge noted that respondents Dr Nida and Ali were also liable to refund the entire amount of Rs38,000 to the complainant because if the mother of the complainant continued with the said diet plan, it would have caused a huge mental and physical damage, which may not be calculated in terms of money.

The judge imposed a fine and ordered the doctor to refund the money paid by the complainant in terms of provisions of the Sindh Consumer Protection Act, 2014.

Abdul Jabbar Leghari had approached the court against Dr Nida and Ali for providing faulty health services asking the court to punish them according to the law.

The complainant submitted that he had purchased a diet plan for his 42-year-old mother on Sept 21, 2022 and also made a full payment of Rs38,000 on delivery.

He further submitted that the respondent doctor, while speaking over the phone, had promised that the patient would lose 10 kilograms of weight without endangering her health and that the plan would not cause any side effects.

The complainant said while trusting the respondent, he purchased the diet plan adding that as his mother started using the medicine, her health condition started deteriorating with pains in the stomach and head.

He alleged that the respondent doctor through misrepresentation of their products with malicious motives to deceive the people were selling their products, jeopardising the lives of the users.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2023