Bihar eye hospital sealed after 16 lose vision in botched cataract surgeries

The eye hospital had set up a cataract camp in which on November 22 many people from nearby areas who arrived to attend the camp were operated upon. At least 25 people who had undergone cataract operations there complained of pain in their eyes and contacted the hospital, after which the eyes of almost half a dozen people were extracted.

The civil surgeon constituted a special team to investigate the matter. The team is expected to submit its report.

Consequently, Operation Theatre and medicine shop of the local eye hospital in Bihar's Muzaffarpur was sealed.

The Assistant sub divisional magistrate, Muzaffarpur (East), confirmed, "The operation theatre (OT) and the medical shop in the Muzaffarpur Eye Hospital have been sealed." She added, "However, the chamber of secretary of the hospital, one of the 14 accused the in the case, has not been sealed."

Ramnaresh Paswan, deputy superintendent of police (SDP), Muzaffarpur Town, stated, "The sealing was needed for the team of medical experts to investigate the matter."

An FIR was filed by people against 14 people in the incident. Muzaffarpur town DSP Ramnaresh Paswan stated, "An FIR was lodged with Brampura police station against the hospital administration for medical negligence leading to the loss of vision of several patients. The OT and other areas have been sealed for fair probe into the incident."

The Medical Dialgoues team had earlier reported about the FIR filed by the district administration against the team of doctors and other staff members from the private hospital in North Bihar after botched cataract surgeries at a Muzaffarpur hospital resulted people losing their sight.

Also Read: Botched cataract surgeries: FIR against doctors, staff of Bihar hospital

Brampura police station SHO Anil Kumar stated that civil surgeon Dr Vinay Kumar Sharma has accused 12 persons filed in the FIR on Thursday after 16 people lost their vision in the botched up cataract surgery, reports Times of India. He said, "According to FIR, 328 people had undergone cataract operation at a free camp between November 22 and 27."

Out of all the cases, 65 operations were performed by one doctor on November 22.

Dr Rajiv Kumar Singh, head of the ophthalmology department at SKMCH said that around 12 patients were receiving treatment at the hospital after their infected eyes had to be removed. He said, "The doctors are continuously monitoring their situation. After cataract surgery, 21 patients were admitted to the hospital with severe infection in their operated eyes. Other nine patients were referred to the IGIMS at Patna on Friday for treatment."

The state health department had asked the civil surgeons of Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Samastipur and Sheohar to trace all the patients who underwent cataract surgeries Muzaffarpur hospital during the free camp, so that they could be brought to IGIMS for medical check up.

Stating that the list of patients was given to the civil surgeon in order to be traced, Special secretary (health) Sanjay Kumar Singh told TOI, "The culture report has not come yet, but the state-level team members, who visited the eye hospital on Thursday, stated that the OT was not up to the mark. They also said the hospital did not have any regular eye surgeon. Post-operation, a patient's eyes are to be checked by the surgeon, but in this case, it was done by ophthalmic assistants, their report said." He added, "The source of infection will be known only from the culture report."

Dr Bibhuti Prashan Sinha, head of ophthalmology department at IGIMS said that the number of patients admitted have gone upto 15 so far, adding, "Nine patients were brought from Muzaffarpur on Friday while three came on their own in the last 24 hours and three more were sent by the Muzaffarpur civil surgeon on Saturday. All these patients had undergone cataract surgery on November 22 and were experiencing similar problems due to infection."

He added that vitrectomy was performed on three patients on Friday night and one of them received the intravitreal injection on Saturday. However, he said, "Fortunately, the infection has not worsened in all the patients. One patient got corneal transplant and another has got patch graft. They are stable. We take it as a positive sign."

Health minister Mangal Pandey, who met some of the patients admitted at Patna's IGIMS said, "Three persons underwent operation after admission at IGIMS on Friday night. Of the 65 cases operated on November 22 at the Muzaffarpur Eye Hospital, we are trying to locate others who were from districts of Sheohar, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and even Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh."

The Muzaffarpur chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) however came out in support of the doctors against whom the FIR is registered, and they accused the hospital management for the incident, as per a media report in the Hindustan Times.

Stating that a fact finding team has been instituted to probe the matter, Dr CB Kumar, president of IMA, Muzaffarpur said, "Prima facie, much of the onus lies with hospital management as operation theatre and equipment are maintained by management, besides procurement of medicines. None of the doctors are on their payroll either. They only facilitated the operations on the request of hospital management."

Earlier on Thursday, Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra moved an adjournment motion in Bihar Legislative Council on the issue of 13 people losing their eyesight after a cataract operation at a hospital in Muzaffarpur, reports ANI.

Also Read: New Artificial Lens May obviate need of glasses after cataract surgery