The victims have been struggling for months at private hospitals
Days after a botched up cataract surgery at a free eye camp at Punjab's Gurdaspur, at least 10 people have reported loss of vision in a similar surgery in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district.
According to reports, 60 people from Punjab's Pathankot and Himachal Pradesh were operated upon at the eye camp in Kandwal village of Himachal Pradesh's Nurpur in March this year. While most people complained of irritation just after the surgery, at least 10 of them said they could not see anything once the bandage was removed.
After struggling for months at various private eye hospitals, those affected contacted a local leader who led a protest on Friday at the clinic of the doctor who performed the surgeries. "Earlier I could see little with our eye, but after surgery I can't see anything, I went to so many places for help but nobody would listen to poor people, we want the doctor to be punished," said Raghubir Singh, one of the victims of the eye camp.
As the news spread, the Kangra administration deputed an officer to gather details. "We have taken note of the incident, it's a serious issue. I have come here to take first-hand information about the camp and will submit a report to the government," said SK Sharma, the officer from Himachal Pradesh health department.
At least 14 people lost their vision after a cataract surgery in Punjab's Gurdaspur last month. The police arrested Doctor Vivek Arora of Vidya Eye Care in Jalandhar who performed the botched surgeries, and an FIR or police complaint was also filed against the hospital where the camp was held. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal ordered an inquiry. (
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The camp is believed to have taken place in "severely unhygienic conditions" with poorly sterilised equipment.