Botched Cataract Surgeries: Maharashtra Medical Council to summon 2 Ophthalmologists
Navi Mumbai: Taking cognisance of the alleged medical negligence case in which five patients developed severe eye infections and lost their vision after undergoing cataract surgeries at a prominent eye hospital in Navi Mumbai, the Maharashtra Medical Council has initiated an inquiry against the two ophthalmologists accused in the case.
In this regard, the council has asked the doctors to provide clarification and will soon summon them for a hearing to present their statements on the alleged medical negligence. The council has also sought an explanation from the private facility involved — Dr. Pandit Eye Hospital, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
Maharashtra Medical Council is the oldest body and successor body of the old Bombay Medical Council, which was established in September 1912 and was in existence till the bifurcation of the old Bombay State. The MMC, which regulates medical practice in Maharashtra, has the authority to suspend or revoke the licences of doctors found guilty of professional misconduct.
Also read- 2 Ophthalmologists booked for medical negligence after 5 patients lose vision
Confirming the development, MMC administrator Dr. Vinky Rughwani told Midday, “We will be calling the doctors concerned for a hearing soon. We have also sent them communication seeking their explanation regarding the allegations.”
Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Rughwani said, "The matter is being treated with utmost seriousness. The inquiry process has already begun. Since the police are also investigating, we cannot disclose further details at this stage."
Medical Dialogues recently reported that two ophthalmologists were booked in an alleged medical negligence case after five patients suffered serious eye infections caused by the Pseudomonas virus, resulting in loss of vision following cataract surgeries at a prominent eye hospital in Navi Mumbai.
The accused, a father-son duo, allegedly performed these surgeries without renewing their licenses with the Maharashtra Medical Council during the period, raising serious safety concerns. The fact that the senior doctor, aged 87, was still permitted to perform surgeries is also under investigation. The surgeries in question were performed between December 2024 and March 2025 at the private eye hospital located at Vashi in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township.
The incident came to light after a 67-year-old man with a history of a diabetic condition was experiencing a cataract problem. Therefore, he had approached the hospital, and the two ophthalmologists conducted his surgery in March. Following the surgery, he lost his vision in his left eye due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a virulent bacterium known to cause rapid and permanent vision loss if not treated promptly.
Later, he approached the police and the Maharashtra Medical Council and filed a complaint against the father-son duo of doctors. The complainant said that besides him, four others who had surgeries there since December 2024 also lost vision.
Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has also launched a separate probe into the incident. According to the Free Press Journal, the senior doctor has a history of disciplinary action. Back in 2016, then NMMC Commissioner Tukaram Munde suspended him after receiving several complaints.
At the time, he was working as an eye surgeon in the civic Health Department. The suspension was issued under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979, and the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, after repeated warnings failed to change his behaviour.
In 2017, Commissioner N. Ramaswami reinstated him and assigned him to the NMMC Hospital in Airoli. However, after the recent FIR, the doctor has gone on leave. An NMMC Health Department official said the department is now investigating how he managed to run a private hospital while still employed with NMMC.
Also read- 67-year-old man loses vision after cataract surgery, files complaint against Ophthalmologists
