Court orders Almeria hospital to pay €500,000 to patient left blind and disabled

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PAYOUT: The patient was left blind and lost mobility following the operation at Torrecardenas Hospital. ©Wikimedia

A COURT in Madrid has ordered compensation be paid to a 30-year-old patient who lost her sight and mobility while undergoing surgery at Torrecardenas Hospital in Almeria.

The court ruled that the Andalucian Health Service (SAS) must pay out €546,386.

The patient, from El Ejido, was left almost fully blind and disabled after the botched operation. The 30-year-old approached the Patient Advocate group who then sued the SAS over the gastric band procedure performed in September 2007.

The surgery involves shrinking the size of a patient’s stomach in order to help them lose weight.

The Patient Ombudsman said the 30-year-old was left unable to properly manage their food intake after the operation. She had to have her intestine reconstructed as a result, the Ombudsman added.

“This patient has had her young life ruined because of this surgery.

“She was left almost blind in both eyes and had damage to her nervous system which caused a loss of mobility and left her disabled,” the Ombudsman said.

The 30-year-old was confirmed as being 76 per cent disabled by the Junta de Andalucia in December 2015.