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Rs. 100 million claim over doctor's death
A woman is seeking Rs. 100 million damages from the Director General of Health Services, the Attorney General and a doctor for negligence, which allegedly cause the death of her husband after he was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital following a road accident.

The plaintiff, Dr. Louis Marina Ponrajah of Badulla had filed action in the Colombo District Court alleging that on July 6, 2004, when her husband who was injured in a collision between the three-wheeler he was travelling in and a lorry was admitted to the Accident Service of the Colombo General Hospital, the surgeon, the second respondent, Dr.D.W. Weerasuriya, who was to be present in the unit on that day as per the duty roster was not there to give the necessary treatment.

Dr. Ponrajah states that Dr. Weerasuriya has neglected his duty by not being present at the accident service unit to treat her husband when he was admitted there. The deceased Dr. Anthoney Ponrajah was 44 years at the time of his death and was the acting ENT specialist at the Badulla general hospital and had an income of Rs. 29,157.50 as wages from the Government and a further Rs. 50,000 from private channelling.

The plaintiff states that due to the death of her husband, she had suffered loss and damage in a sum of Rs. 100 million and is seeking the said amount from the three defendants. Attorneys-at-law Suren Peiris with Vinodh Wickramasuriya and Pushpita Rajapakse instructed by V.W. Kularatne Associates appeared for the plaintiff.

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