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The Union ministry of health and family welfare has reconstituted the Central Expert Committee to determine the quantum of compensation for the patients who were implanted with faulty Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip implants manufactured by DePuy International Limited, UK (now Johnson & Johnson Pvt Ltd), in the country.
The Ministry said that it has reconstituted the Central Expert Committee under the chairmanship of Dr Ajay Kumar Shukla, professor of orthopaedics, RML Hospital, to determine the quantum of compensation as admissible and medical management for the affected patients who were implanted with faulty ASR hip implant.
"The affected patients who were implanted with faulty ASR hip implant and are suffering from disability and other losses may approach either Central Expert Committee or State Level Committee as per their convenience," it added.
ln case the affected patients intend to approach the Central Expert Committee, they may write an e-mail or send the hard copy by post or by hand to Legal Cell of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (HQ), New Delhi.
The ASR patients who have already submitted their claim application before the State or Union Territory level committee or the Central Expert Committee, need not file any fresh claim application, it added. In case the affected patients intend to approach State Level Committee, they may write to concerned State or Union Territory Drugs Controllers, who will be the member secretary of State Level Committee, it added.
A high powered expert committee held in its 2018 report that the ASR hip implants were found to be faulty, which resulted in higher instances of revision surgeries globally including India. A Central Expert Committee was formed following the report, to determine the quantum of compensation.
In September, 2018, a Central Expert Committee under the chairmanship of Dr R K Arya from Safdarjung Hospital, to determine the quantum of compensation, was constituted and requested the State governments to constitute State Level Committee to examine the affected patient's details in their respective states.
In November, 2018, the Ministry approved the compensation formula, under which the compensation was fixed based on the age and disability factors of the patients.
According to the report by the high powered committee, many patients who have received ASR have started experiencing serious adverse reactions and had undergone revision surgeries prematurely. Due to the higher rate of revision surgeries and serious adverse reactions (SAR) across the world, the firm had recalled ASR from the market globally.
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