Ambala: At least 16 people suffered partial vision loss after undergoing cataract surgery at a charitable hospital at Maheshnagar in Ambala, officials said today.
Advertisement
Anil Vij, the Health Minister of Haryana, has ordered a departmental inquiry into the issue.
The patients were allegedly operated upon with contaminated solutions and surgical equipment which led to severe infection in the eyes.
However, Dr Charanjit Singh of the charitable society told the newspersons that the operations were conducted as part of routine exercise and there was no eye operation camp.
All patients were rushed to the Post Graduate Institute (PGI) in Chandigarh for treatment.
Barring one, the rest are showing very slow improvement.
Vij, who visited the patients this afternoon, assured the patients that the state government will reimburse their PGI treatment expenses.
Ambala’s chief medical officer Vinod Kumar Gupta said the organisation, Sarv Kalyan Sewarth Samithi, did not have government permission to hold the surgery.
“The society had no mandatory clearance from us to hold the camp”. The doctor said that two people who were operated upon told that they were charged Rs 6500 to 8500. These surgeries were conducted without the permission of civil surgeon’s office. “Case had been registered in this connection by the police regarding negligence on the complaint of the SMO”, he added.
Out of 15, the eyesight of 14 is improving, which is a big thing, he said.
Advertisement
“I had no money as the wages I earn hardly make ends meet”. He said one more patient still at hospital will be relieved shortly. “Don’t know how I will drive the rickshaw now and how will run my family”. “Now as the surgery has failed I am anxious as I won’t be able to repay my loan if I can not work”, Lal Chand said. I treat patients at the highly subsidized prices at the hospital and I am successfully performing surgeries in Ambala for over 15 years.
