Record compensation has been awarded by the Nicosia District Court in a case involving medical negligence during the delivery of a child 12 years ago, it was reported on Wednesday. The plaintiff, in the suit which had been filed in 2014, was awarded a compensation of over €2.5 million from the Republic of Cyprus, after Makarios hospital was charged with having caused birth asphyxia and brain damage to the infant.
The plaintiff in a lawsuit brought to court on the minor’s behalf by the parents. They successfully sued the state, arguing that the child ought to have been delivered by caesarean section but instead doctors opted for natural delivery, according to a report in Philenews. During the birth the doctor’s actions and manipulations caused the infant to be starved of oxygen as a consequence of which the child suffered brain damage, and currently presents as mentally handicapped, with a chronic neurological problem, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
These problems led the child to being unable to attend classes in a regular school, the lawyers said. The 12-year-old will require occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy, some of these for life, as well as a carer. In a previous record case from 15 years ago, the court ruled in favour of a person who had been injured and taken to the Nicosia general hospital, and whose surgery was delayed.
The plaintiff in that case was awarded almost €2 million for general and specific damages, including for bodily injury, .
