HYDERABAD: The patients who lost sight in one eye after undergoing cataract surgery at Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital in June 2016, staged a silent protest in front of the hospital on Wednesday, demanding Rs 10 lakh as compensation. Among the 13 patients who underwent the surgery, six developed blindness in one eye and some developed other problems. After NHRC recommended to the State government to pay Rs 1 lakh compensation to six patients who lost eye sight, the amount was paid to them around 15 days ago.
However, the patients argued that they had become dependent on family members and `1 lakh was not enough to take care of their expenses. One of the patients, CH Manikyam (75), travelled 353 km from his village Kukunoor to the hospital, to participate in the protest.
Manikyam said that before he underwent the surgery, he used to rely on farming to earn a living for himself and his wife. “I lost sight in left eye and started to develop cataract in right eye too,” he said.Aam Aadmi Party’s Trade Union State secretary Narendra Y, who convened all the people at the hospital, submitted a representation to the hospital’s superintendent requesting that`10 lakh compensation be paid to the patients