At least five patients lost their eyesight after operation at a free eye surgery camp in Punjab. All the patients belonged to Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh. The Himachal Pradesh Government has set up an inquiry commission headed by Doctor S. K. Sharma to probe the incident.
Sharma said only five cases have come to light so far. "There is no denying they have lost their eyesight. So far, I have interacted with five patients. I have talked to only five people because I had received affidavit from the five people only. Perhaps more people have come," said Sharma. Sharma added that the operation took place at a private hospital in Pathankot town.
"There was no problem during the screening camp. The operation took place in an operation theatre of a private doctor which has to be good and this is the subject of the inquiry," he added.
Nearly 60 people underwent cataract surgeries at the camp. "I had undergone operation for the eye cataract and after the operation I lost my vision," said Sreedhar, one of the victims. Earlier this month, at least 16 senior citizens had lost their eyesight in a similar incident after they allegedly underwent eye surgery at a free medical camp organized by an NGO in Punjab.
Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday said that no eye surgeries were conducted at Nurpur in Kangra district of the state, refuting reports of botched surgeries that resulted in the loss of vision of 10 patients. "The news item published and telecast in a section of media regarding eye operations conducted from March 22 to 29, 2014 is totally false and not based on facts," a spokesperson of the State Health Department told reporters.
During the said period, only eye screening of patients had been done at the complex of Nagni Mata Prabandhak Committee in Nurpur city of Kangra district by a private doctor Nitin Salaria. The patients were later shifted to the Salaria Eye Hospital in Punjab's Pathankot district for the surgeries and all the arrangements were made by the committee.
The State Health Department had no involvement in eye operations conducted at the hospital, the spokesperson clarified and added that the department had not organised any such camps in the corresponding period in the state.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}