india

Updated: Aug 18, 2019 01:09 IST

Eleven persons who had cataracts removed at an eye camp in a private hospital in Indore last week have complained of blurring or loss of vision, prompting the government to order a probe.

The operation theatre of Indore Eye Hospital, where the surgeries were conducted on August 8, has been sealed following the complaints, officials said on Saturday. They claimed blurred vision could be the result of infection after the surgery.

A total of 14 patients underwent cataract surgeries under the National Programme for Control of Blindness at Indore Eye Hospital. Only three of the 14 patients, who are in the age group of 45-85 years, have been discharged without any problems.

“It appears that an infection has harmed the eyesight of these people. The reason behind this infection is being probed and we are mulling to revoke the licence of the hospital,” chief medical and health officer Praveen Jadiya said.

A district health official said on condition of anonymity that the hospital was run by a trust but the eye camp was conducted with permission from the state health department.

Sudhir Mahashinde, the managing director of the hospital, confirmed that the OT had been sealed. “It is wrong to say that the surgeries were botched because overall 14 people had the surgeries but three are completely fine. Even out of 11, four are responding to post-surgery treatment,” he said.

One of the patients, Manohar Harore, spoke of his problem. “After surgery, I felt irritation in the eye. The doctors started treatment and said sight would be normalised in a week but nothing has happened. Now, they are saying they can’t give any guarantee as an infection has developed in my eye.”

Shakuntala Kumar, a resident of Indore, sounded distraught as she claimed that both her parents had lost vision in one of their eyes. “They live alone. My mother already has a problem with one eye and now she has lost vision in the second eye. How will they manage?”

Another patient from Dhar, Rami Bai, said, “I am asking the doctors ‘will I get my vision back?’ The hospital staff are saying their work is to give treatment. The result is not in their hands.”

In December 2010, the hospital had been barred from holding eye camps after the alleged failure of 18 surgeries. MD Mahashinde said a probe was conducted but “in the inquiry, the team didn’t find slackness, so the ban was lifted in June 2011”.

BJP leader Hitesh Vajpayee has demanded that an FIR should be filed against the hospital. “The government should be tough with the hospital. The FIR should be lodged against hospital staff for criminal negligence. The affected patients should be shifted to AIIMS, Delhi.”

State health minister Tulsiram Silawat said a seven-member committee headed by the Indore divisional commissioner would probe the incident.