Woman, 24, to sue dentist after 'operation leaves her paralysed'
Woman seeks compensation after suffering a stroke following operation
A young woman who ended up partially paralysed after an operation to fix her underbite is seeking legal aid to sue the dentist and hospital for compensation.
Gwenic Ma Ka-man, 24, said she had to undergo therapy to regain movement on the right side of her body after she suffered a stroke suspected to have resulted from a blunder during the operation in 2012.
She can no longer move her right hand freely and has to walk with a crutch.
Although Ma had signed a document acknowledging the risks involved in the oral surgery, former lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo - the lawyer supporting her - said this was not necessarily a full disclaimer that shielded the medical practitioner from all responsibility.
On Cheng's advice, Ma would not disclose the names of the dentist and the hospital involved.
Ma started seeing dentists for her underbite problem - in which her lower incisor teeth overlapped the upper - in 2004. She was told that on top of being fitted with dental braces, an operation might be necessary.
In mid-2012, she was referred to an orthodontist to prepare for the operation. During one consultation session, she was presented with a document stating the risks of the operation.