Three patients go to court claiming Rs.300 million from Keheliya, others

20 August 2024 01:25 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 14 Bookmark

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Colombo, August 20 (Daily Mirror) - Three patients who were subjected to permanent loss of sight due to the use of ‘Prednisolone Acetatean' eye drops used after cataract surgeries at a government hospital, filed lawsuits before the Colombo District Court today claiming Rs.300 million from former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and ten others for the damage caused to their eyes and possible threats to their lives.

Keheliya Rambukwella, Janaka Chandraguptha, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, Prof. S.D. Jayaratne, Dr. Vijith Gunasekera, Dr. Asela Gunawardene, Dr. Rohan Edirisinghe, Dr. Mahendra Seneviratne, Chamee Chemist (Pvt) Ltd of Yakkala, Indiana Ophthalmics LLP and the Attorney General were named an the defendants of these plaints.

In his plaint, the plaintiff Makkari Rajaratnam, a resident of Kandapola, stated that he was admitted to the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital and underwent a Cataract surgery on April 05, 2023 performed by the medical staff of the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital.

The plaintiff stated that he was thereafter discharged on April 06, 2023 after the completion of the surgery and advised by the medical staff of the Nuwara Eliya Hospital to use the Prednisolone Acetate eye drops manufactured by Indiana Opthalmics LLP India which was also given by the hospital as part of the recovery and after care.

He further stated that after several applications of the said eye drops he developed tearing, discomfort, pain and headaches on or about April 19, 2023.

The plaintiff further stated that upon further medical investigation and admission to the National Eye Hospital on May 10, 2023, it was observed that he was gradually losing sight in the eye operated upon and treated with the said Prednisolone Acetate eye drops.

The victim further stated that the said eye drops were substandard due to the non-conformity with the sterility tests and that patients who used the drug developed Endophthahnitis.

The plaintiff filed these lawsuits through Attorneys Sampath Wijewardene, Thamali Kuruppu and Pravinka Ratnasekera of the Invictus Law Firm, demanding compensation from the eleven defendants.

Comments - 14

joshua Tuesday, 20 August 2024 02:12 PM

Keheliya's lawyers should be ashamed to appear on his behalf for a Bail. After all these damages, how can he be granted bail. He should be banished to jail. So sorry for the people who lost the eye sight. The agony must be unbearable. RW tolerated the moron until much damage was done to the health sector.

1 57

Perera Wednesday, 21 August 2024 07:31 AM

This is a civil law suit and not a criminal case. In civil law suits there is no bail involved neither is the Bail Act applicable so your point has no relevance.

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Tissa Fernando Tuesday, 20 August 2024 03:29 PM

Kheheliya and Sira are the only two who have been sued like this. What about the rest. Sue AKD for economic damage for over several decades, Rajas for alleged thefts of public money, etc. The best profession in Sri Lanka now is to be a Lawyer.

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AKD DESERVES A CHANCE TO AND PEOPLES POWER WILL GET HIM THERE WHEN THEY GET TO THE BALLOT BOXES AROUND THE COUNTRY, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR PAST SUPPORTERS CLAIM. Tuesday, 20 August 2024 05:13 PM

HA!HA! SAD TO SEE SOME STILL CONTINUE TO HALUCINATE. WE THE PEOPLE SEE ONLY ONE CANDIDATE WHO HAS THE GUTS TO COME FORWARD IN SUPPORT OF THE MAJORITY OF POOR, UNDERPRIVILEDGED, THOSE LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE AND OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD A GUT FULL OF UNP SLFP AND SLPP. ATTACKING AKD IS ONLY HELPING TO INCREASE HIS SUPPORT BASE. FORTUNATELY, HE IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE THAT HAS THE GUTS, BACKBONE, WILL AND READY TO TAKE ON THE CORRUPT POLITICIANS WHO HAVE BEEN RULING FOR THE PAST FEW DECADES, FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT AND LEAVING THE MOST VUNERABLE CITIZENS BEHIND.

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Tissa Fernando Tuesday, 20 August 2024 06:10 PM

Yes, your candidate is thevonly candidate who will take this country to a total collapse. That is to finish the job done over five decades.

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mina Wednesday, 21 August 2024 04:16 AM

Tissa Fernando is obsess with NPP, it is is a forgone conclusion that the NPP is loved by the majority of this country. ThissaFernando will be shocked on the 21 of September and his comments against NPP will be shown as no value.

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Kikazaru Tuesday, 20 August 2024 05:15 PM

That is peanuts ?

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Ram P Tuesday, 20 August 2024 05:35 PM

All of them will have ill gotten money to pay if the plaintiff's win the cases

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saman Tuesday, 20 August 2024 07:12 PM

We read that he and his family members had Rs. 95.0 million fixed deposits being blocked.

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Best Tuesday, 20 August 2024 07:22 PM

People wery well remember who protected them in the parliament we should show them our gratitude this time

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Solicitor in a Western country. Tuesday, 20 August 2024 08:48 PM

The law suit will 100% fail. The risks of cataract surgery is blindness. Thus these patients blindness could have happened as a result of surgery and not due to the eye drops. The surgeon would have definitely warned the patients there is a slight risk of blindness.Its like crossing the road. One may get knocked down by a car or not. The patients will have to prove beyond 100% doubt blindness was caused 100% by the drops. One has to summon the manufacturer to find out what percentage of blindness has occurred due to these drops.

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last chance Wednesday, 21 August 2024 04:20 AM

Best layers of the country should back this case filed by those who have lost sight against this murderer . If possible every effect must made to keep this man behind bars for the entire life time of this man.

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FredSnR Wednesday, 21 August 2024 05:21 AM

SL is a a basket case so many issues unsolved . There is an election May the best man win out of the lot who are contesting.As for the above hope an independent judiciary will prevail, case will not be delayed, stop giving dates, only makes lawyers rich.

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Anthony. R Wednesday, 21 August 2024 05:44 PM

Pray the independence of the Judiciary prevail here. None is above the law. Let the cry of the innocent victims be heard and let justice be done to them.

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