Updated on Feb 25, at 2.17 p.m.

Over the suo moto plea filed in the Gujarat High Court over five patients permanently losing their eyesight after a cataract operation, the Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) took several decisions under the chairmanship of Dr Nitin Vora.

As per the council’s actions, Mandal hospital’s Dr Jaimin Pandya’s licence as an ophthalmic surgeon has been suspended for a year, Amreli hospital’s Dr Pooja Parekh’s licence suspended for six months, and Dr Ankita Modhwani’s licence has been suspended for three months.

On top of that, Amreli medical college and hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr RM Jitiya, has been dismissed from his post for six months.

Over the shortage of full-time doctors, medical superintendents, and qualified nurses like personnel and devices for infection control, along with lapses in infrastructural facilities mandated as per government norms, the charity commissioner of Gujarat and the state government are directed to take strict action against Shree Seva Niketan Trust-run hospital and its trustee.

The commissionerate and the government are also directed to take action against Shrimati Shantaben Haribhai Gajera Charitable Trust, Surat, for the mishaps caused at the Amreli medical college and hospital.

The Gujarat Nursing Council has been directed to probe and take action against the four nursing staff at Amreli medical College - Ajaz Mogal, Bharat Chavda, Rutwik Thummar, and Keval Bhavaliya.

Updated on Feb 22, at 1.34 p.m.

In the case of the botched up cataract surgeries in Viramgam, the bench of the Gujarat High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Aniruddha Mayee, directed the state’s principal secretary of the health and family welfare department to provide an affidavit in detail under the Gujarat Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2021.

In an affidavit submitted by the government during the hearing of the suo motu PIL, a breach of the government’s guidelines by the authorities of the hospital was revealed.

The affidavit mentioned that there is a lack of resources and qualified staff at the hospital, due to which the incident of eye vision loss occurred.

After at least 17 people lost their eyesight after a cataract operation at Viramgam’s Mandal, the state took a major action and informed the ongoing hearing in the Gujarat High Court that all medical establishments should register, irrespective of size of that establishment.

The advocate general submitted a report about the incident on Feb 7.

During the submission of a report as directed by the court, senior advocate general Kamal Trivedi said that the Mandal cataract incident took place while the process of amending the Gujarat Clinical Establishment Act, which mandates registration of hospitals with 50 or more beds, was ongoing.

The state government amended the rule for all the hospitals in December 2023, and in the meantime, on Jan 10, 2024, this incident of eyesight took place.

For the high court, senior advocate G M Joshi submitted that these incidents of loss of vision in cataract surgeries have been reported regularly in cataract camps. Joshi cited examples of such incidents that happened in Amreli and very recently in Ognaj last year. 

Joshi said that establishments are regulated, but charitable camps are not. He submitted to the court that there has to be a mandatory registration for the charitable camps as well, while simultaneously providing for penal consequences.

Joshi went on to say that many hospitals have been established, but the doctor does not have any control over the medical supplies; he uses whatever is provided to him.

“It is very difficult to put criminal liability on the doctors for the patient’s loss,” he further said.

Advocate Joshi requested time to study the report submitted by the government, and the HC scheduled further hearings in the third week of February 2024.

Updated on Jan 21, at 10.50 a.m.

After the patients complained of partial or complete vision loss post their cataracts operation, 20 of the patients were referred to Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital. According to sources, four to five of these patients are likely to lose their eyesight completely.

Two patients were relieved after their situation improved, and eight to nine patients are still under medical observation.

The preliminary tests have revealed that the issues in the eyesight in these patients were a result of pseudomonas bacterial infection. The bacteria mostly affects the people in the healthcare settings and they spread to people who come in contact with the water or soil that is contaminated with these bactaria.

However, whether this was a lapse in treatment from the hospital or the eye drops used after the surgery, will be clear once the committee formed by the government will submit its report in the coming days.

Updated on Jan 17, at 8.30 p.m.

In a major lapse, at least 17 patients complained of partial or complete loss of vision after undergoing cataract surgery at a trust-run hospital in Ahmedabad’s Viramgam.

Taking suo moto cognizance of news reports, the Gujarat High Court issued a notice to the health secretary and the Ahmedabad rural superintendent of police.

The bench of Justice AS Supehia and Justice Vimal Vyas ordered the government to hand over the preliminary inquiry report, scheduling the next hearing for Feb 7.

What was the matter?

Ramanand Eye Hospital at Mandal in Ahmedabad district’s Viramgam, operating under the Shree Seva Niketan Trust, has been conducting eye surgeries at charitable rates since the last 40 years.

103 patients have been operated on in the last 15 days at the hospital.

On Jan 10, patients from Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, and Patan were referred to this hospital, where Dr Jaimin Pandya conducted cataract operations on 28 patients.

Each patient was charged ₹3,100 for the surgery.

However, 17 out of 28 patients developed postoperative complications like teary and swollen eyes and complained of vision loss.

Five seriously affected patients, including Babubha Darbar, Chandu Marwadi, Shanta Rathod from Viramgam, Rama Vanza from Dasada, and Vashram Bharwad from Harij, were referred to Civil hospital in Ahmedabad.

Dr Shailesh Parmar, chief district health officer of Ahmedabad, and Dr Bhavesh Rathvi, taluka health officer at Mandal, initiated a probe where statements were taken from the 12 patients.

The Gujarat health and family welfare department has formed a nine-member expert committee to conduct an inquiry and also asked the eye hospital at Mandal village not to perform any more cataract surgeries until further orders.

State's action

Rishikesh Patel, state health minister and spokesperson for the government of Gujarat, has taken cognizance of the matter.

Health commissioner Harshad Patel reached the civil hospital in Ahmedabad to visit these referred patients.

In this regard, the Health Minister said in a press conference that strict action will be taken against the offenders. He also informed that a medical team from Gandhinagar had been dispatched to the mandal taluka. An investigation has been started regarding the medicine, injection, or treatment staff responsible for this.

For more such updates and news on the go, follow us on Instagram | YouTube | Facebook