NHS To Face £24m Bill For Glue Injected Into Girl’s Brain

The NHS is set to be hit with a £24m compensation bill for a girl that has had glue injected into her brain, after it was mistaken for dye. 10 year old Maisha Najeeb, described as being happy and active, was left with catastrophic and permanent brain damage that she will never recover from. As well as being virtually unable to move, Maisha has been left blind in one eye. A financial package has been determined that means the NHS will have to pay an initial £2.8m plus annual payments until she dies.

Doctors and surgeons in the UKL typically provide a high level of service to patients, but mistakes do happen, and while some may pass with little consequence, there are those that can leave patients in serious physical and emotional distress.

Patients that do suffer at the hands of negligence by doctors are able to seek compensation. Negligence must be proven on the part of the doctor or healthcare institution, and lawyers must be able to prove that there has been a negative impact and loss suffered by the claimant. Compensation figures do vary, but those incidents that lead to brain damage and life-threatening illnesses and injuries are those that typically carry the largest settlement figures. Compensation packages of £1m or more are not uncommon in these instances.

Maisha was a healthy and active ten year old girl but she suffered from a rare condition called arterio-venous malformation. This means that her arteries and veins could become tangled leading to bleeding. When a bleed did occur, Maisha would visit Great Ormond Street hospital to seal off the veins using glue. Dye was applied in order to determine where to apply the glue. However, in this case, surgeons applied the glue instead of the dye leading to the problems.

The hospital admitted liability, and the NHS has been told to pay an initial fee of £2.8m followed by annual payments of £383,000 a year until she turns 19 and £423,000 a year thereafter. Experts called by the girl’s family say that she could live until she is 64 and this would mean a total bill of more than £24m.

Children General PI NewsJan 10th, 20140 comments