Chhattisgarh: 13 patients suffer eye infections after cataract surgery in Dantewada

Thirteen patients from Bastar region’s Dantewada district have been hospitalised in Raipur after they complained of eye infections following cataract surgeries at a government hospital, officials said on Monday.
Following the incident, the Chhattisgarh government suspended three healthcare workers, and the health department has ordered a probe.
Dantewada district collector Mayank Chaturvedi said that following the first case of infection, which was reported on October 20, officials launched a probe to identify patients who had undergone eye surgeries over the last two weeks.
“Out of the 80 individuals examined, 13 were found to have infections in the operated eye,” the collector said.
The affected patients, who underwent cataract surgeries at the Dantewada district hospital between October 18 and October 22, are currently being treated at the BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur.
“The patients’ condition is stable, and no one has lost their visibility till now,” Shubhra Thakur, spokesperson of the BR Ambedkar hospital, said.
Officials said that the doctor concerned had continued performing surgeries until October 22, allegedly without notifying senior authorities about the infections.
According to preliminary findings from the health department investigation, standard surgical protocols were not adequately followed, and the operation theatre’s sanitisation was said to be insufficient, officials added.
Chhattisgarh health and family welfare minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal on Sunday announced the suspension of three healthcare personnel, including eye surgeon Dr Geeta Netam, eye assistant officer Dipti Toppo, and staff nurse Mamta Vaide.
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh Congress formed a six-member investigative team, headed by Bastar MLA Lakheshwar Baghel, to examine the incident from their end.