Supreme Court today directed Tamil Nadu government to pay a whopping 1.72 crore rupees as compensation and reimbursement of medical expenses to a girl who lost her vision due to negligence at a government hospital. A bench comprising Justices J S Khehar and S A Bobde, which had reserved its verdict in the case on April 8, allowed the plea filed by her father V Krishnakumar.
The girl had lost her vision due to the negligence during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) surgery at a government hospital in Chennai in 1996. ROP is a potentially blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants weighing around one kg. The bench directed that 1.3 crore rupees would be paid as compensation and 42.8 lakh rupees would be towards reimbursement of medical expense. The Supreme Court enhanced the compensation of five lakh rupees awarded by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.