A letter of demand was sent to the former minister of health by a victim who was treated with substandard eye drops after cataract surgery. The letter demands compensation of 100 million rupees from the former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella in connection with the damage to his eyes and the threat to the eyes and lives of 08 other patients due to the use of ‘Prednisolone Acetate’, a liquid medicine used in drops after cataract surgery in a government hospital. (Sri Lanka Latest News)
A victim, Makkari Rajaratnam, a resident of Kandapola, through Invictus Law Firm, has directed the letter to Keheliya Rambukwella, Janaka Chandragupta, Chairman of the National Drug Regulatory Authority, Prof. S.D. Jayaratne. Dr Vijith Gunasekara, Dr Asela Gunawardena, Dr Rohan Edirisinghe, Dr Mahendra Seneviratne and Yakkala Chami Chemist (Pvt.) company.
The letter warned that legal action would be taken if the money was not paid.
Invictus Law Firm stated that their client was admitted to the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital and underwent cataract surgery on 05 April 2023 by the medical staff of the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital.
The medical staff attached to the Nuwara Eliya Hospital performed the eye surgery on their client on 06 April 2023. The law firm stated that the hospital prescribed prednisolone acetate eye drops manufactured by Indiana Opthalmics LLP India to its client, who was released from surgery, as part of his recovery and aftercare.
It added that after applying some of those eye drops, its client developed tearing, discomfort, pain and headache on or about April 19, 2023.
Then on May 10, 2023, he was admitted to the National Eye Hospital and after a further medical examination, it was revealed that the sight of the eye was gradually decreasing due to the use of Prednisolone Acetate for post-surgery treatment. The law firm further states that the victim had also observed the situation.
The petitioner has stated that the eye drops are substandard and the patients who used the medicine were diagnosed with endophthalmitis.
“As of the date of this demand, we have been instructed to declare that our client is blind in the eye after surgery and using the prescribed prednisolone acetate eye drops for treatment…” the law firm said.
“We submit that due to this blindness, our client faces many difficulties and inconveniences in his daily life activities. Before the surgery on 05.04.2023, our client was a farmer who earned a monthly income of seventy thousand rupees. Currently, due to his blindness and disability, he is unable to carry out his daily activities.”
