Wronged hip implanted patients need justice

How unethical and immoral trade is done even in respect of writhing and suffering patients, the fact not generalised, is otherwise fairly known as many cases keep on making headlines intermittently. The travesty is that even such Companies with international commercial exposure too have been found to dupe many Indian patients. One of such cases is the faulty hip contraption for implanting purposes sold by the ‘health care giant’ Johnson and Johnson Pvt Limited and there are many such cases in Jammu and Kashmir where such faulty and sub-standard devices were implanted in those patients who needed them to lead a normal life. It is really a matter of concern that quite a large number of patients from Jammu and Kashmir had developed severe complications following implanting of faulty hip devices through surgeries performed both in the State itself as well as in Punjab and other parts of the country. Since they stand wronged, they are now all set to get adequate compensation .
It is a matter of relief for such aggrieved patients that Governor’s administration has constituted a high level Committee to examine such cases and make necessary recommendations to the Expert Committee framed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In fact, the Union Government had last year in November asked all State Governments to form State level committees to examine those patients who had suffered due to faulty devices for hip implanting known as Acetabular Surface Replacement (ASR) manufactured by De Puy International Limited, UK or Johnson and Johnson Pvt. Ltd. in order to make the process of obtaining compensation less problematic. There are many cases, one such patient, again a resident of Jammu had developed such complications following implanting of such defective device that not to speak of improvement post implanting, this patient is rendered incapable of walking and is bed ridden.
Such and other effected patients have much hopes pinned in the constituted Committee which by the very nature of its composition, knows where things have gone and why – as the said Committee comprises a team of members of well experienced and professional specialist Doctors and representative of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation besides Controller Drugs and Flood Control Organisation Jammu and Kashmir being the Member Secretary of the Committee. This Committee is mandated to review the applications submitted to it by the effected patients and recommended quantum of compensation as admissible under appropriate law and medical management, if any, to the Central Expert Committee.
Has a detailed survey or collection of some reliable data been made in order to reach out to the wronged patients ? We have, in this connection, reports that Union Health Ministry has undertaken such exercise and revealed that around 4700 ASR surgeries were carried out in India between 2004 and 2010 and objective behind the directive of the Ministry for framing State Level Committee is to identify such patients so that they can get adequate compensation as decided by the Union Government. An Expert Committee was constituted by the Union Ministry to examine the issue and after detailed examination of the matter, it submitted its final recommendation which was accepted by the Government late last year. Based on such recommendations, the Union Government proceeded further culminating into actual action to be taken at the ground level in the states. The compensation is to be determined commensurate with the percentage of disability, age factor and risk factor as not only the aged persons but even those of comparative younger age had undergone such surgeries for replacement of the hip. We wish the aggrieved patients of Jammu and Kashmir to be paid the compensation at an early date keeping in view the cost of living in future , the extent of disturbance of routine life as also the mental agony.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here