BENGALURU: A couple who chose a premium private suite for the birth of their child, hoping for hygienic and comfortable surroundings, instead found cockroaches and houseflies crawling across the room, including on their food and the breast pump used to feed their newborn. The III additional Bengaluru Urban district consumer disputes redressal commission has now held Motherhood Hospital liable for deficiency of service and ordered it to pay compensation for the ordeal.
She was admitted on Aug 21, 2024, and Dubey opted for a premium private suite at a cost of Rs 1.4 lakh, excluding medical expenses, to ensure the comfort and safety of the mother and child. The hospital maintained that Jadhav was discharged in healthy condition on Aug 23, 2024, had expressed satisfaction with her overall experience, and that the couple had approached the commission with malicious intent. It, however, ordered Motherhood Hospital to pay Rs 50,000 for mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.
It said sanitation teams were instructed to conduct hourly checks, and gel-based preventive measures were applied as a precaution. “It is the bounden duty of the hospital to maintain hygienic conditions,” the commission observed. The saga began when Shweta Pratap Jadhav, a resident of HSR Layout, and her husband Anand Dubey chose the Lullanagar branch of Motherhood Hospital in Pune for the delivery, as Jadhav’s maternal home was in the city and the couple trusted the brand’s reputation. However, the couple found the suite far below the promised standards. The hospital claimed Jadhav had raised concerns about the room shortly after admission and was immediately offered alternative rooms, with the staff extending full assistance. During proceedings, the family produced a pen drive containing videos showing cockroaches inside the suite. The hospital did not dispute the recordings. After considering the evidence and hearing both sides, the commission noted that the recordings supported the couple’s case. The forum observed that failure to maintain hygienic conditions in a maternity hospital amounted to deficiency of service. The commission declined to refund the suite charges, noting that adequate medical care was provided and there were no health complications.
Dubey emailed the hospital on Dec 18, 2024, describing the family’s traumatic experience. The hospital responded five days later, on Dec 23, seeking a meeting. The couple did not hear back until Jan 15, 2025. Disappointed with the response, they filed a consumer complaint on July 29, 2025, seeking a refund of Rs 1,43,518, compensation of Rs 20 lakh and litigation costs.
When the couple raised the issue with hospital staff, they were shifted to another suite; however, they remained dissatisfied with the response. Alleging gross deficiency of service and unfair trade practice, they issued a legal notice.