Chennai, Nellore:
"They said if you want to see him alive, you better sign. So we signed and they removed his eye": Rafi describing the horrible ending to a free cataract operation that his father-in-law went through a week ago.
Thirty four others signed up for the same service at an eye camp in Andhra's Nellore district, one that seems to have been a giant case of blinding negligence.
Rafi's father-in-law and four other patients who were rushed to a hospital in Chennai after their operations at that Andhra camp went horribly wrong, leaving them with severely infected eyes. Four of the patients have been operated on again, to remove their infected eyeballs. And doctors aren't optimistic about healing the infected eye for each of the other eight patients. Three other patients have panicked and run away from the hospital.
"It is a serious case of medical negligence. But before taking any action, I have asked my department officials to conduct an inquiry, and then we will initiate serious action," promises Andhra's Health Minister, D Nagender.
The doctors who performed the cataract operations are qualified surgeons. Sources say the problem may have arisen with the saline supplies used by the camp. That, and other theories, will be investigated by the government.