Salem|HL
On June 14 and16 around 23 cataract surgery conducted at the Mettur government hospital. Out of 23 surgeries 16 patients lost their vision after surgery. The surgeries were conducted free of cost at the hospital.
The patients are belong to Mettur, Kolathur, Macheri and Omalur areas. They were discharged from the hospital on June 18th. Two days after they were discharged, 16 of the 23 patients suffered severe pain in the operated eye.
“I could not bear the pain. When I approached the doctors at the hospital, they did not help me,” said P Chellammal, 58, one of the victims. Soon, she began losing her vision. The eye drops prescribed by ophthalmologists at the hospital did not help.
Fifteen others who had gotten operated along with Chellammal also began losing vision. The government doctors confirmed they had severe eye infection and referred them to Aravind Eye Hospital in Salem. Six of them were referred to the Aravind Eye Hospital in Coimbatore for further treatment.
On Friday, relatives of four patients assembled before the Mettur Government Hospital and spoke to the media about their predicament.
“The doctors at the private hospital say that chances of regaining vision are minimal. We want the government to take stern action against those responsible for this,” said P Sureshkumar, a relative of one victim.
Meanwhile, a team of officials from the health department initiated an inquiry with the patients and doctors in Mettur. A team led by joint director of medical (incharge) Dr. Inbasekaran, interrogated patients on Friday and visited the Aravind Eye Hospital along with district collector V Sampath, the same evening. They stated that the surgical procedure was flawless.
