Law Faculty student Achala Priyadarshani whose left hand was amputated due to the alleged negligence on the part of the medical staff of two government hospitals, filed a lawsuit before the Colombo District Court against the medical staff and state claiming Rs.100 million as damages.
Filing a lawsuit through Senior Counsel G. G. Arulpragasam, she named Dr. Dilka Saranasinghe the Director of the Matara General Hospital, Dr. Anil Jayasinghe the Director of the Colombo National Hospital, Dr. Palitha Gunaratne Mahipala the Director General of Health, Sudharma Karunaratne the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and the Attorney General as defendants.
The plaintiff Achala Priyadarshani had been admitted to the Matara Hospital on January 17 with fracture injuries in her left hand after falling down a flight of stairs at her home in Urubokka. The plaintiff stated she received treatment at the Matara Hospital from January 17, 2013 and was subsequently transferred to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment. The plaintiff stated that upon being admitted to the Colombo National Hospital, the doctors had diagnosed to amputate her left hand.
The plaintiff further stated that her left hand was amputated due to negligence on the part of the staff attached to the Matara General Hospital and the Colombo National Hospital.
She further stated that the doctors diagnosing to amputate her hand could have averted it, if the defendants and the hospital staff had acted in a responsible, effective and vigilant manner.
Finally, she claimed a sum of Rs.100 million as damages from the defendants and the state.
(Lakmal Sooriyagoda)