Haryana botch-op: 38 strain to get sight back

Corrective surgeries had to be performed on 10 of the 38 elderly patients admitted to Rohtak's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) on Thursday after they underwent eye surgeries at government hospitals across Haryana that left them infected.

PGIMS medics, who requested anonymity, expressed worry that after some 238 cataract surgeries, performed between March 11 and 18 in Bhiwani, Karnal and Jhajjar districts, many may have been rendered sightless.

While 38 of the patients were rushed to PGIMS, others are still to be traced.

The reason for the botch-up is not clear, but hospital sources hint at contaminated syringes used for injection during the operations.

"It is highly likely these patients may not be able to see again, or suffer from partial blindness, despite the corrective srugeries. There is only a 40 percent chance that teh operations would be successful... We cannot confirm anything until the bandages are removed," said a source.

"Our priority right now is to give them the required treatment and then we will look into the reasons how this happened. We will get to know the surgery results soon," said Dr Rohtash Yadav, medical director, PGIMS, Rohtak.

Capital Precedent

Apr 2017: In Delhi state’s GTB Hospital, 20 patients injected with contaminated Avastin were left partially blind.