india

Updated: Aug 17, 2019 19:03 IST

Eleven people, who underwent cataract surgeries on August 8 in an eye camp at Indore eye hospital, have lost vision due to infection. The patients’ kin raised the issue on Saturday.

Minister of health department Tulsi Silawat ordered a high-level inquiry in the matter.

A district health official said that the eye hospital is run by a trust and the camp was organised after getting a permission from the health department.

A patient Manohar Harore said, “I was admitted in the hospital on August 7 for the surgery of an eye. After surgery conducted on August 8, I felt irritation in the eye. Other patients also complained the same. The doctors of the hospital started treatment and said sight will be normalised in a week but nothing happened. Now, they are saying they can’t take guarantee as an infection developed in my eye.”

A resident of Indore Shakuntala Kumar said, “My father and mother both lost vision in one of their eyes. They live alone. My mother is already having problem in one eye and now she lost vision of the second eye too. Now, how will they manage.”

Rami Bai, a resident of Dhar said, “I am asking doctors will I get my vision back. The hospital staff is just saying that their work is to give treatment. Result is not in their hands.”

After infection in the eyes, the operation theatre (OT) has been sealed, said hospital administration.

Managing director of the hospital Sudhir Mahashinde said the OT was sealed to know the reason behind infection. “It is wrong to say that surgery botched up because overall 14 people went through the surgeries but three are completely fine. Even out of eleven, four are responding to the post-surgery treatment.”

Earlier, the same hospital had been banned for eye camp after failure of 18 eye surgeries in December 2010.

Mahashinde said, “In the inquiry, the team didn’t find slackness and lifted the ban in June 2011.”

Indore, chief medical health officer Dr Praveen Jadiya said, “A team of expert has been sent to hospital to inquire the matter.”

In 2015, as many as 52 persons lost their sight due to negligence of doctors and staff in an eye camp held at district government hospital Badwani.

BJP leader demanded FIR against the hospital.

BJP leader Dr Hitesh Vajpayee said, “The government should act tough against it. The FIR should be lodged against hospital staff for criminal negligence. The affected patients should be shifted to AIIMS, Delhi.”