The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday revoked the licence of a private hospital in Indore where 11 elderly persons, who underwent cataract surgeries on August 8, suffered significant impairment of vision due to infection. “As a result of the loss of eyesight of 11 patients who underwent cataract surgeries at your hospital on August 8, this is to inform you of the cancellation of your licence under Section 6(1) of the Madhya Pradesh Upcharyagriha Tatha Rujopchar Samabandi Sthapnaye (Registrikaran Tatha Anugyapan) Adhiniyam, 1973,” District Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Pravin Jadia wrote in a letter addressed to the Director of the Indore Eye Hospital.District Collector Lokesh Kumar Jatav, however, told The Hindu that the patients had not lost their sight completely but were suffering from ‘blurry vision’ due to infection after the surgeries. “They have been shifted to the best eye hospital in the city and will undergo corrective surgeries. A team from Sankara Nethralaya from Chennai will perform the procedure. At this stage, we don’t know what caused the infection.”Under the Union Health Ministry’s National Programme for Control of Blindness, 14 persons aged between 45 and 85, 10 from Dhar district and four from Indore, underwent the surgeries on the day. Later, 11 of them complained of blurry vision. They have been shifted to Choithram Hospital and Research Centre in the city. The private hospital had conducted 386 cataract surgeries under the programme from April to August 8. A three-member team comprising the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) and two government ophthalmologists had been constituted to inquire into the case, said Mr. Jatav. A district health official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Private hospitals get paid on the basis of the number of successful surgeries.”Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kamal Nath announced a compensation of ₹50,000 for each of the affected persons. “Our priority is to save their vision at this point,” Jitu Patwari, Higher Education Minister, told reporters. “The operation theatre has been sealed. Those responsible for negligence will be punished. Even the doctor who underestimated the extent of the infection will be punished.”The issue came to the notice of the authorities after Dr. Sudhir Mahashabde of the hospital wrote to the district blindness control society about it, said Mr. Jadia. Mr. Nath tweeted: “How the hospital was granted permission despite an incident there nine years ago, we’ll investigate it and take action against the accused.”In 2010, the hospital was in the dock when 18 patients who underwent cataract surgeries there lost their vision. However, surgeries were resumed following a six-month suspension period.
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