Prosthetic arm for law student who lost her arm

Achala Priyadarshani, the final year law student whose arm had to be amputated because of alleged medical negligence, will be given a high quality prosthetic arm by the army on the directions of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, according to the army’s website.

After reading media reports about the incident, President Rajapakse spoke to army commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya on Wednesday to enquire about the possibility of getting a prosthetic arm for the young victim at the earliest. The government will bear the expense, the president added.

The army commander then contacted the supplier in Sri Lanka to provide her with a German-manufactured artificial arm costing around Rs3.5 million.

The army commander also asked Director Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. R. V. Samaratunga to meet the victim at the Colombo National Hospital and do the needful in consultation with medical specialists attending her.

Maj. Gen. Samaratunga visited the patient with Colombo-based supplier-agent of Otto Bock Company Limited of Germany and informed her about President Rajapakse’s directive to the army to give her a prosthetic arm.

Since her wounds would take at least two more weeks to heal completely, medical experts felt that measurements could not be taken for the prosthesis at present.

The victim has expressed her gratitude to President Rajapakse and the army commander for their sympathy and help.

Earlier story:

Lanka Health Ministry calls for probe

The Health Ministry has called for an immediate inquiry into the alleged nonchalance and medical misconduct on the part of the Matara General Hospital Authorities which has reportedly led to cutting away part of a hand of a young law student of Matara.

In this incident, 24-year-old Achala Priyadarshanee of Urubokke, Matara was admitted to Heegoda General Hospital following a fracture of her left hand as a result of a fall she has had at home.

Later she was transferred to Matara Central Hospital where the Plaster of Paris laid on her fractured hand to make the broken bone to set has caused inaction of the nerves.

Priyadarshanee, a final year student of the Law Faculty of the Colombo University, was in pain after the plaster was laid and she had reportedly complained to the doctors about her discomfort.

But nobody has shown any interest to address her pain and when that region of her hand turned bluish subsequently she was transferred to Colombo General Hospital.

The doctors had found that due to the improper setting of the plaster the nerves in the patient’s hand had died and there was no alternative other than chopping away the hand at that point.

Health Minister, Maithripala Sirisena has directed the Ministry Secretary, Nihal Jayathilaka to call for an immediate inquiry into this alleged medical misadventure, Ceylon Today learns.

An inquiry committee comprising Deputy Director General of Health, Dr Ananda Gunasekara and several specialist surgeons has already been appointed, sources told Ceylon Today.

Meanwhile, Director General of Matara General Hospital Dr. S. Samarakoon told Ceylon Today, that this inquiry into the conduct of doctors and nurses of the Matara General Hospital will be conducted without any fear or favour.

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