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Probe instituted into Sangli blindings

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has appointed a two-member committee to investigate into the Sangli blinding tragedy, in which 20 people lost their vision partially after being operated upon at the government-run Civic Hospital.

The committee members -- Dr Sujata Phadke, professor and head, Department of Microbiology, Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune; Dr Shrikant Kelkar, Director, National Institute of Ophthalmology, Pune; and Dr Mrudula Phadke, Director of Medical Education and Research, Sassoon Civic Hospital, Pune have left for Sangli in western Maharashtra, about 200 km from here.

In what is probably the worst tragedy to hit the sugar bowl of Maharashtra in the recent years, eye-balls of four of the 20 villagers who complained of partial loss of vision after undergoing the free cataract operation have been removed, while 12 others have been rushed to Pune's Sassoon Hospital.

"The patients are suffering from infections but the exact nature of the infection has not yet been determined. We are awaiting reports of laboratory tests," Dr Kelkar told rediff.com.

Dr B A Kadam, Sassoon Hospital medical superintendent, said they would examine the exact nature of damage caused to each patient.

The patients undergoing treatment at the Sassoon Hospital include: Bhausaheb Salve Dongre, Bhimrao Baba Gaikwad, Ramchandra Baburao Patil, Gokulabai Nana Tawde, Kundabai Hassan Pathan, Leelabai Bandu Kamble, Hirabai Pandurang Patil, Rukhmini Patil, Gaurabai Patil, Kalubai Shinde, Anna Jadhav and Anant Patil.

Health Minister Digvijay Khanvilkar, who arrived in Pune to take stock of the situation, met the patients and later held a meeting with senior doctors. He declared a financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to each of the victims who have lost their vision.

Terming the incident as unfortunate, the minister said the doctors in Pune had been instructed to do their best to help regain the patients' vision.

Asked who were to be held responsible for the tragedy, Khanvilkar said: "Nothing could be said until we receive the inquiry committee report. But after receiving the detailed report we will fix responsibility and punish the guilty."

The minister said the IV fluids and other medicines used at the health camp have been withdrawn from circulation from all over the state. "Sample of both IV fluid and eye drops have been sent to Food and Drugs Administration for a thorough analysis," he added.

"This is the first time that such a tragedy has occurred in Sangli. In fact, the Sangli Civic Hospital had shown good results in intra-occular lens transplant surgeries for three consecutive years," the minister pointed out.

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