Following the incidents of people losing their eyesight after botched cataract surgery at various camps in the State last year, Haryana Government has decided to conduct eye camps at Government hospitals to prevent such incidents.
The State Health Department has issued directions to all Civil Surgeons and District Blindness Control Society in Haryana to make arrangements for conducting monthly mega eye camps in all 21 districts. These eye camps would begin from February 11 onwards.
last year in November, 15 patients who had undergone cataract surgery at a hospital in Ambala had lost vision in the operated eye. A similar incident had taken place at Samalkha in Panipat in March 2015 in which 13 patients suffered from vision loss after undergoing surgery at an eye camp.
In both the cases, the patients had then undergone treatment at PGIMER and the State Government had constituted an inquiry committee to probe the incidents.
As per the norms, it is mandatory to take permission from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to hold such camps but these camps were organised without any permission.
Notably, the National Human Rights Commission had also issued notice to Haryana Government over medical negligence in the eye operation camp that led to vision loss of people.
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij had recently said that the State Government would organize eye camps in government hospitals so that such incidents could be averted.
As per the letter sent to all Civil Surgeons by the Health Department, one mega camp will be conducted monthly in each district of Haryana. These camps would be inaugurated by Minister or MlA.
All the facilities required to organize these successfully would be provided by Civil Surgeon of the concerned district. The screening for these camps would be done at CHCs and PHCs in each district, said the letter.
The guidelines issued by the Centre for Cataract Surgery (precaution to be taken on Ophthalmic Surgeries to avoid cases of loss of vision) should be adhered strictly, it stated.
An official of the state Health Department said that the mega eye camps would be organized in all districts during every month in Haryana starting February. The eye camps would be organized in Jind and Hisar on February 11.
A mega eye camp would be organized on February 12 in Rohtak and Ambala, February 13 in Fatehabad, February 15 in Gurgaon, Sirsa and Kurukshetra, February 16 in Bhiwani, Palwal and Yamunanagar, February 18 in Mewat, Sonepat and Karnal, February19 in Faridabad, February 20 in Jhajjar, February 26 in Narnaul, February 29 in Rewari, he added.