NHRC notice to TN govt over 'botched-up' eye surgery

National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to Tamil Nadu  government over reported botched-up cataract surgery of 16 patients in a hospital in Salem.

The Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that sixteen patients had lost their vision after a botched-up cataract surgery at the government hospital at Mettur in Salem district between June 14-16. They included 12 women, according to an NHRC statement.

Issuing a notice to Tamil Nadu government through its Chief Secretary, the Commission has observed that "the contents of the press reports raise serious issues of violation of human rights of the victim patients due to the apathetic attitude of the medical staff at a government hospital".

The Chief Secretary has been asked to send a report on the incident, the reasons behind it and action taken against those responsible for it within two weeks.

According to media reports carried on June 25, the patients were sent home after the surgery.

They took eye drops given at the hospital but were later unable to see. They were rushed to the hospital again but transferred from there to a private hospital. The vision of eight patients is reported to be badly affected, while the remaining eight have suffered minor loss of vision, said the statement.

The media reports further said though at least 25,000 free eye surgeries are successfully performed at various government hospitals in Salem every year under the National Blindness Control Programme, but this shocking incident appears to have happened either due to some wrong medicine or some issue with the operation theatre.