In a concerning incident, seventeen patients in Viramgam village, Ahmedabad district, Gujarat, have experienced partial vision loss following cataract surgery at a private trust-run hospital. The Ramanand Eye Hospital, owned by the Seva Niketan Trust, conducted surgeries on 28 patients on January 10, with 17 developing infections in their affected eyes within days, resulting in partial blindness.
The matter came to light when five of the affected patients were transferred to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Cataract surgeries are typically performed one eye at a time, and complications arose after the surgery on the first eye for these patients.
Satish Makwana, Deputy Director of Health and Medical Services for Ahmedabad region, stated, “Five persons with critical eye difficulties have been transferred to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, while 12 people with lesser problems have been kept at the private hospital. All patients are being monitored.”
Families of the affected patients have raised allegations of negligence against the doctors. Solanki Govind, whose wife lost vision after the surgery, expressed frustration, stating that they went for the cataract surgery on January 10, and within three days, she lost her vision. Despite immediate contact with the doctors and prescribed eye drops, there was no improvement, leading to her readmission on Monday.
The Ramanand Eye Hospital, however, denies any negligence on the part of the doctors during the surgical procedure. Narayan Dalwadi, Vice-President of Operations at Ramanand Eye Hospital, emphasized the hospital’s longstanding track record, having performed over 1 lakh operations in the past 40 years without a single complaint of negligence. Describing the post-surgery complications as a ‘virus-related effect,’ Dalwadi mentioned that they are thoroughly investigating all aspects.
In response to the incident, the Gujarat government has formed a nine-member team, comprising doctors and officers, to investigate the matter. Additionally, the Ramanand Eye Hospital has been temporarily barred from conducting further cataract surgeries pending further orders, according to Satish Makwana, Deputy Director of Health and Medical Services for Ahmedabad region.
