Seventeen patients who underwent cataract surgery at the Nuwara Eliya Hospital and subsequently lost their vision will be compensated, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided.

The decision was made following deliberations by a technical committee tasked with investigating the issue, which arose due to the use of substandard drugs during the treatment of these patients.

According to Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Nalinda Jayathissa, compensation will be distributed as follows: 12 patients will receive Rs. 1,000,000 each, two patients will receive Rs. 750,000 each, one patient will receive Rs. 700,000, and two patients will receive Rs. 250,000 each.

“The biggest challenge was the absence of any precedent to guide us in determining compensation for such cases,” Minister Jayathissa explained.

Consequently, the technical committee recommended compensation amounts ranging from the standard compensation amount of Rs. 250,000 to a maximum of Rs. 1 million for cases involving legal blindness.

Meanwhile, the government will also take legal action against the supplier of the substandard medicines, Minister Jayathissa added. (Newswire)

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Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa says compensation will be provided to patients who developed complications following cataract surgeries at the Nuwara Eliya District Hospital in 2023.

Addressing the Parliament today, Minister Jayatissa said that Cabinet approval has been received to provide compensation to 17 such patients, some of whom had completely lost their eyesight.

Stating that a committee had been appointed under the aegis of an Additional Secretary of the Health Ministry to probe the incident, the minister said the committee report has been submitted as of now.  

He further said that based on the report, a decision was taken for the government to provide compensation to the affected patients and that a compensation system is being established for this purpose. 

Minister Jayatissa said it was also decided that legal action would be initiated against the company that had imported the medication that had resulted in complications. 

The incident mentioned occurred in May 2023, when the eyesight of several patients who underwent eye surgery at the Nuwara Eliya District General Hospital had weakened soon after the surgeries.

At the time it was reported that the eyesight of the patients had weakened or was completely lost post-surgery due to the presence of germs in a medicine imported from India, which was given to them following the surgery. (Newswire)

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