An eyesore

A case of medical negligence is made out when the common cataract laser surgery that is meant to restore an elderly patient’s vision acuity, instead, threatens to turn his world dark in his twilight days. It is grossly so when multiple cases of botched eye operations are reported. Last month witnessed this unfortunate medical shocker. More than 60 eye patients are suffering unforeseen consequences of bungled cataract surgeries conducted at two government hospitals in Kurukshetra and Bhiwani. This is unforgivable as we have failed to learn from such horrifyingly frequent errors. A couple of weeks earlier, at least five patients lost sight because even basic operation theatre care was not maintained in a Mumbai hospital. The memory of December 2014, when 60 patients had gone blind after surgery in Gurdaspur, is agonisingly fresh.

Haryana has done well to halt eye surgeries in its hospitals till the root of the problem is identified. An inquiry will fix responsibility for the cause of the shocking infections. But to be effectively deterrent, the large scale of the tragic incident must open the government’s eyes to the need for taking strong action against those found guilty. The cavalier attitude of doctors, suppliers of medicine and medical equipment or those responsible for the cleanliness and sterility of OTs is inexcusable. A harsh penalty to the culprits can go a long way in ensuring that a little extra precaution is taken to avoid such botch-ups. 

Even as reports of irate patients blaming medical authorities for carelessness abound, those of nailing the guilty and taking disciplinary action against them are rare. As per the data of the Medical Council of India, from 2012 to 2018, only 167 errant doctors were blacklisted temporarily. Their medical licence is generally suspended for short periods of three to five months. They are soon seen back in business since hardly anyone has been barred from practice permanently. It would be unfortunate if the poor patients continued to be fated to monetary compensations, with nothing in sight to shake the system out of apathy.