Srinagar, Oct 23: Impoverished Sahiba, 70, was elated after she learnt that the health department was organising a medical camp in Kupwara but her joy turned tragic after she was operated upon for cataract after which she lost her eyesight.
 Sahiba is not alone who lost her eyesight but six other persons have met the same fate while one of them has been eviscerated at SMHS hospital after they were admitted in the city hospital.
 It was after a team of doctors from the Health Department operated upon them in a medical camp in Kupwara a fortnight back that seven persons lost their eyesight.
 Sahiba wife of Ahmadullah Rather of Reshi Gund Kupwara attended the free eye examination at Cataract Surgery Camp in the Sub-District Hospital Kupwara.
 She was operated upon by the doctors at the camp and was asked to remain there for examination and it was during next day that she developed pain in the left eye.
 “My mother along with others was operated upon by the doctors at the camp. She lost the eyesight of her left eye completely. And to save her right eye, doctors are going to eviscerate it,” said Sahiba’s son Bashir Ahmad at SMHS hospital.
 He accused the doctors carrying out surgeries at the Kupwara camp of negligence.
 “They should know that eye is the vital organ in the body. Atleast at this age her eyes should have proper eyesight,” he said.
 “The Hospital administration at Kupwara should immediately recall all the 250 patents operated by the mobile unit and carry out check-up of each of them to check further spread of the infection and prevent further damage to the eyes of the operated patients,” he urged.
 The Health Department on October 7 under order no DHSK/SCH/COB/04/679-82 organized a Cataract Surgery Camp in the Sub-District Hospital Kupwara from October 11-16. In its order Dr Wahab of Handwara hospital was assigned to supervise the Mobile Surgical cum Ophthalmic Unit consisting of three doctors Dr Firdousa, Dr Asmat and Dr Seema.
 The other patients admitted to ward 7 and 8 of SHMS hospital for acute infection have been identified as Ali Muhammad Sheikh of Laderwan Kupwara, Sara Begum wife of Ali Muhammad Mir of Hatmullah Kupwara, Zoona Begum wife of Habibullah Dar of Kunanaposhpara, Muhammad Akbar Lone of Laderwan, Ghulam Muhammad Teli of Darial Wilgam, Kupwara and Ghulam Rasool Shah of Gugloosa Kupwara, all aged between 50 and 60 years.
 Aijaz Ahmad, who accompanied his father Ali Muhammad Sheikh to SMHS said, “The Mobile Unit operated about 250 patients for cataract. After being discharged, all the patients were asked by doctors to report in the hospital on October 25 but before that most of those operated have developed severe pain”.
 He said the doctors prescribed Paracetamol and other pain killers besides two eye-drops to the patients. “Despite taking these medicines for several days, the pain in the left eye of my father did not subside. With no improvement in his condition, I rushed him to SMHS, where doctors said he has developed severe infection,” he said.
 The in-charge doctors at the Ophthalmology wards 7 & 8 at SHMS Hospital told Greater Kashmir, “We are treating them for both bacterial and fungal infections. Unfortunately, one patient Ali Muhammad has completely lost his eye to infection. It is quite possible that these patients might have developed the infection through non-sterile surgical equipment or by the erratic or infectious drips used by the Mobile Unit at Kupwara”.
 The chief medical officer Kupwara Dr Ghulam Nabi said, “The Operations were done by the team of doctors constituted by Directorate of Health and we just assisted them,” he said.
 He said after three days of the commencement of the camp four patients came to him and complained of the infection and shooting pain in eyes. “After preliminary investigation we referred those four patients to SMHS hospital, Srinagar,” he said.
 Director Health Dr Muhammad Amin Wani said, “The doctors have done a commendable job as this was a long pending demand of the rural people from Kupwara. The mobile unit performed some 250 cataract surgeries at Kupwara.” After we reported some infection case, a committee was constituted on Friday to investigate whether there was case of any negligence by the doctors, he said. “The committee will report to me in ten days,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00 IST