Representative image.
| Photo Credit: ANI
As many as 13 people contracted an eye infection following cataract surgeries at a government medical facility in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district between October 18 and 22, a government official said.
After the matter came to light, a probe was ordered by the State Health Department, and prima facie the probe team purportedly found lapses, resulting in the suspension of three personnel, including a doctor. The patients are currently admitted to the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur.
According to a statement issued by the hospital on Monday (October 28, 2024), the condition of all the patients was stable and the infection was under control. The statement, however, added that it was not “possible to tell about the possibility of [the retention of their] vision at present”.
Mishandled surgeries have in the past resulted in loss of vision in Chhattisgarh.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal told journalists that negligence was found on the part of the hospital’s eye surgeon Geeta Netam, eye assistant officer Dipti Toppo, and staff nurse Mamta Vaide. Mr. Jaiswal confirmed they had been suspended.
The Opposition Congress, however, said the action was not enough. “Just the formality of suspension will not suffice. The BJP government has taken away the eyesight of the people. The government should pay compensation and apologize to the public,” former CM and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel said on social media platform X.
Earlier, in another post on X, he made an apparent reference to such botched up surgeries under an earlier BJP government led by Raman Singh.
“Again botched eye surgery incidents have started in the BJP government. The same thing happened during previous BJP rule. Such an incident did not happen even once in our government [referring to his party’s rule between 2018-2023]. Vishnu’s (Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai) good governance has been proved useless and unsuccessful,” Mr. Baghel said.
Published – October 28, 2024 09:52 pm IST
