Hyderabad, October 26
A free eye surgery camp by a private hospital group went horribly wrong in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh with 10 patients losing their eyesight while the condition of eight others was serious.
The botched operations, done by Bollineni Hospitals, triggered shock waves in the state as a majority of 34 patients, who underwent cataract surgery, have developed bacterial infection and are facing the danger of going blind.
The state government ordered a probe into the tragedy and criminal prosecution of the negligent doctors. Chief Minister K Rosaiah announced an ex gratia of Rs 50,000 to each of the victims whose eyeballs had to be removed to save their lives and to prevent further spread of the bacterial infection.
The tragedy occurred after surgeries were conducted by the Globe Eye Foundation, attached to Bollineni Hospital, at Gangapatnam in Nellore district on October 18.
As many as 70 patients from Nellore town and nearby villages were screened at the free camp by a four-member team of doctors from the corporate hospital. The team found that 34 of them needed cataract surgery. The operations were done the next day at the hospital.
Soon after, at least 16 patients complained of post-surgery complications like severe pain and watering in the eye as well as headache. They were shifted to the Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai where the doctors found that
life-threatening bacterial infection had set in and advised removal of eyeballs in several cases to save their lives.
As a result, four of the patients had their eyeballs removed while the condition of others was being closely monitored. Six of the patients lost eyesight after the surgery.
As the tragedy unfolded, the relatives of patients held demonstration before Bollineni hospital and demanded stringent action against its management.
The Collector of Nellore district, K Ramgopal, has ordered ban on surgeries at the hospital until further notice. The attendants of the patients claimed that the eyeballs of the four patients were removed as doctors at Chennai hospital said it was necessary to prevent the infection from spreading to other parts.
However, the doctors at Bollineni Hospitals denied any negligence on their part. “We took all possible precautions and yet some patients have developed infection. We have shifted them to other hospitals and are doing our best to save their lives,” Dr MV Ramana Reddy, one of the doctors who had performed the cataract surgeries, said.
Bollineni Hospitals was established seven years ago and has so far conducted over 40,000 eye surgeries without any complications.
Meanwhile, Health Minister D Nagender said the government would take stringent action against those responsible for the botched operations. The Chief Minister ordered that a suo moto case be registered against the hospital management, he said.
Apart from the ex gratia, the hospital management would be asked to pay compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh to each of the victims, the Minister said.
