NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Johnson and Johnson to make an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh each to four patients after verifying that they have undergone revision surgeries on receiving faulty hip implants made by the company. The court’s direction came after the company said it was willing to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the patients who were affected by the implants. Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the company to give a list of all the claimants who are registered with it after verifying that they have undergone revision surgeries.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 29 and asked the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to give the details of all the claimants, which it has, to the company. CDSCO had asked the company to pay Rs 65 lakh, Rs 74 lakh, Rs 1 crore and Rs 90.26 lakh respectively to four patients. In the interim, the court asked the company to pay Rs 25 lakh to these four patients for whom CDSCO has already issued orders, after verification of their documents.
The court was hearing the company’s plea challenging a press release issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare asking it to pay compensation to all the affected patients, as determined by the reports of the Committees formed to examine the issues relating to its faulty hip implants. The company has also challenged the orders by which it was directed to pay compensation to patients. The court also granted a week more to the Centre to file its response to the petition.
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing the company, informed the court that it has identified a certain number of patients who were eligible for compensation after a verification process.“We have set down terms of eligibility...he/she is not entitled if he/she has not undergone the revision surgery,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)