A consumer commission has directed Motherhood Hospital to pay Rs 60,000 after finding the private hospital responsible for deficient service when a couple discovered cockroaches and houseflies inside a premium maternity suite, including on food and a breast pump used for their newborn.
The III Additional Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission awarded Rs 50,000 for mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs. It did not order a refund of the suite charges, noting that medical care had been provided and the mother and child did not suffer health complications.
The case concerned the hospital’s Lullanagar branch in Pune. Shweta Pratap Jadhav, who lives in Bengaluru’s HSR Layout, and her husband Anand Dubey selected the facility because Jadhav’s maternal home was in Pune and the couple expected the premium accommodation to provide hygienic and comfortable conditions.
Jadhav was admitted on August 21, 2024, and Dubey paid Rs 1.4 lakh for a premium private suite, excluding medical expenses. According to the complaint, the couple noticed cockroaches and houseflies at about 2am on their first night. The insects were allegedly seen on the floor, near food placed on a table and on the bed where Jadhav was resting. The couple also found pests on the breast pump being used to feed their newborn.
The family raised the issue with hospital staff and was moved to another suite. Dissatisfied with the response, Dubey emailed the hospital on December 18, 2024, describing the experience. The hospital replied five days later seeking a meeting, but the couple said they did not receive further communication until January 15, 2025.
The couple subsequently issued a legal notice and filed a consumer complaint on July 29, 2025. They sought a refund of Rs 1,43,518, compensation of Rs 20 lakh and litigation expenses, alleging deficiency of service and an unfair trade practice.
The hospital disputed the allegations. It said the room-related concerns had been addressed shortly after admission, that alternative rooms had been offered and that staff had provided assistance. The hospital also told the commission that sanitation teams had been instructed to conduct hourly checks and that gel-based preventive measures had been applied. It maintained that Jadhav was discharged in a healthy condition on August 23, 2024, and had expressed satisfaction with her overall experience.
During the proceedings, the family submitted a pen drive containing videos that purportedly showed cockroaches inside the suite. The hospital did not dispute the recordings, according to the report. The commission said the videos supported the couple’s case and observed that maintaining hygienic conditions was the hospital’s bounden duty.
The ruling distinguishes between the standard of medical treatment and the conditions in which paid hospital accommodation is provided. While the commission did not find grounds to refund the suite charges or award the larger compensation sought, it held that the failure to maintain hygienic conditions in a maternity hospital amounted to deficiency of service. The order requires Motherhood Hospital to pay the awarded compensation and litigation costs.
