Ten persons have suffered loss of vision after getting cataract surgery done in a camp organised by the Indore Eye Hospital, a private hospital in Indore.
These persons suffered from infection in the eye after the surgery and their vision has diminished considerably, chief medical and health officer (CMHO) of Indore Dr Pravin Jadia told THE WEEK.
The surgeries had been conducted on August 8 in a camp under the National Programme for Control of Blindness.
Jadia also said that following directives of Health Minister Tulsi Silawat, the licence of Indore Eye Hospital has been cancelled. The operation theatre of the hospital had already been sealed after the matter came to light on August 13, he said.
Jadia also said that a three-member committee, which includes two eye specialists, has been formed to look into the matter and action would be initiated after their report is received in three days.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has announced compensation for the patients and will be shifting them to Choithram Hospital in Indore for better treatment. Eye specialists are also being flown in from places like Chennai to take care of them.
Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari, who hails from Indore, tweeted that the incident was unfortunate and the patients will be paid immediate compensation of Rs 50,000 each and shifted for better treatment.
Jadia told THE WEEK that the patients developed diminished vision after the surgeries, and culture reports suggested that the cause was infection. Other eye specialists were pressed into service and the patients were given intra-ocular treatment, but it failed to improve their vision.
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Dr Sudhir Mahashabde of the Indore Eye Hospital told local mediapersons that the cause of the eye infection could not be known yet.
Dr Hitesh Bajpai, spokesperson of the MP BJP, has meanwhile demanded an FIR be lodged against the responsible persons and a host of other actions. Demands raised by Bajpai include Rs 10 lakh be given as compensation for each of the patients, the shifting of the patients to AIIMS in Delhi for better treatment and suspension of the district blindness control officer.
The Indore Eye Hospital was embroiled in a similar controversy in 2010 when 18 persons lost vision following cataract surgery. Health officials had then recommended an FIR be lodged against the hospital authorities and the hospital was banned from organising eye camps and surgeries in January 2011. However, later, the ban was lifted.