The Health Department has sealed the operation theatre of Shivanand Mission Eye Hospital (SMEH) in Virnagar village, Rajkot, Gujarat, after 10 patients developed complications following cataract surgery. Dr. PK Singh, Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) of Rajkot, stated that the operation theatre was sealed on Thursday night after the issue came to light.
On September 23, the hospital had performed 32 cataract surgeries. During routine dressing, unusual secretion of fluids was observed in the eyes of nine patients. Samples were subsequently collected and sent to a laboratory in Rajkot, confirming a bacterial infection. Upon learning of the situation, health officials visited the hospital on last Thursday and sealed the operation theatre. The nine affected patients were shifted to Rajkot Civil Hospital on Friday morning, with four showing severe infection and five having mild symptoms. Following the infection's confirmation, the hospital contacted the remaining 23 patients operated on the same day to check for any complications, discovering one more infected patient from Botad, bringing the total number of infected patients to 10.
Dr. Singh added that initial laboratory tests of samples collected from the operation theatre equipment have come back negative for bacterial presence. Additionally, cataract surgeries conducted in the same operation theatre on September 24 and 25 did not result in any reported post-surgical complications. This suggests the infection could have been contracted before or after the surgeries. To determine the infection's source, a five-member expert team of eye surgeons and microbiologists from the health department in Gandhinagar visited the hospital on Friday to collect further samples for laboratory testing.
Established in 1956 by Dr. Shivanand Adhvaryoo, an eye surgeon, the Shivanand Mission Eye Hospital is located 45 km east of Rajkot city in Virnagar village of Jadan taluka. The hospital is run by Netra Raksha Charitable Trust (NRCT) and provides free surgeries. Ashok Mehta, the joint managing trustee of NRCT, stated that the hospital has conducted around 9.08 lakh eye surgeries since its inception. "The Trust and we trustees are deeply saddened by this incident. This has never occurred in the long history of the hospital, and we are extending all possible assistance to the affected patients. If needed, the Trust is ready to cover their treatment expenses," Mehta said.
The trustee also mentioned that the hospital was independently investigating the source of the infection. He noted that surgeries had been performed on 65 and 67 other patients on Tuesday and Wednesday in the same operation theatre, with no reported complaints. Dr. Chhotelal Verma, a senior doctor and trustee, has been sent to Rajkot to ensure that the patients receive the best possible treatment to save their eyesight. However, the patients had to be transferred to Rajkot Civil Hospital for treatment after the hospital's operation theatre was sealed. Additionally, Dr. Hetal Kyada, media coordinator for Rajkot Civil Hospital, reported that seven of the nine infected patients were referred to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Saturday due to severe infections.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)