Payout for British girl brain damaged by hospital glue injection

LONDON (AFP) - A famous London's children hospital on Monday agreed to pay out 2.8 million pounds (S$5.9 million) to a girl who was left brain damaged when glue was accidently injected into her brain.

Maisha Najeeb was 10-years-old when she underwent an operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2010, which involved injecting glue to block bleeding blood vessels.

She was also meant to have dye injected into an artery in her brain as part of the procedure, but the syringes got mixed up, leaving her with permanent brain damage.

Judge William Birtles at London's High Court approved the 2.8 million pound settlement against Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children National Health Service Trust.

The victim will also receive 383,000 pounds a year until she turns 19, which will increase to 423,000 pounds per year for as long as she lives.

The court heard how there were no labels on the syringes to identify which was glue and which was dye.

"We can't wind the clock back," said the trust's lawyer Nick Block. "We hope there are now systems and procedures in place to ensure such a tragic mistake cannot be made again."

Maisha's father Sadir, said his daughter's life was "ruined".

"I hope that by bringing this case, lessons will have been learned to avoid this happening to other families," he added.

Maisha was healthy when she entered hospital, despite suffering from a rare condition in which arteries and veins can become tangled.

She is now wheelchair bound and has lost most of her bodily and cognitive abilities, the court heard.

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