Haryana orders probe as 19 affected after eye surgery botch-up

The Haryana government on Saturday set up a committee to investigative the reasons into the eyes of 19 people being affected after surgery on them in Panipat district this week.

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said a committee, comprising senior doctors and specialists, had been constituted to investigate the matter.

At least 14 people have been admitted to the PGIMER here after the cataract surgery done on them in a private hospital in Haryana's Samalkha town in Panipat district earlier this week went wrong. Five others affected after the surgery were being treated in Panipat, Vij said.

Vij visited the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Saturday and enquired about the patients who had been brought from Panipat.

The 14 eye patients, including five women, are mostly elderly and had undergone cataract surgery at Navjeevan Eye Hospital in the industrial town in Panipat, 80 km from Delhi, on March 11 during a free camp organised by eye surgeon Ankur Gupta.

Another committee, under the sub-divisional magistrate, Samalkha, has been constituted by the district administration for legal investigation.

Vij said it would be checked if approval of the civil surgeon was taken for conducting the operations. A preliminary report would be submitted at the earliest while the final report would be submitted later.

Saying that strict action would be taken in the matter, Vij said the incident was unfortunate.

The patients were rushed to PGIMER after they complained of pain in their eyes within one to two days of the surgeries.

Doctors at PGIMER told the health minister that they were trying their best to salvage the vision of the patients. Six of them have already been operated upon here.

Head of Department of Opthalmology Amod Gupta said efforts were being made to salvage the vision of the affected patients.