BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI : Nearly 40 victims and family members of Johnson & Johnson’s faulty ASR hip implants have met the Central Expert Committee constituted by the Union Health Ministry in New Delhi to share their concerns about the proposed compensation formula and the process.

The patients, members of the Hip Implant Patients Support Group, who participated in the meeting ,said, “We shared our views regarding the compensation formula, the process and related issues at this much delayed meeting with the committee.”

“We could place our concerns and cases before the committee only in a limited way. Even in this short time they were able to see the true extent of suffering and devastation of our lives caused by J&J’s ASR hip implants,” said Renu Seth of Delhi.  

Central Expert Committee headed by Dr. R.K. Arya was formed in October 2018 to start the compensation process for victims of Johnson & Johnson’s faulty ASR hip implants.

Jyoti Rani said, “For my husband and me it came as a great shock when our doctors told us to stop planning a family due to the levels of cobalt and chromium in my body and the negative impacts that this could have on pregnancy and on any baby we would conceive.”

Mrs Rani of Vishakhapatnam suffered a miscarriage years after the recall of the device and was unaware of toxicity associated with the implant until 2016.

Vijay Vojhala from Mumbai told DTMT, “We have made it clear to the government and the Central Expert Committee that compensation is only one part of our battle. We will not rest till J&J is investigated, prosecuted and held accountable for their criminal negligence and actions that have left us disabled, in pain and with life long suffering.”