HYDERABAD: While officials in the State Health department claim that the 17 patients who developed complications after undergoing cataract surgeries at a hospital in Warangal were screened under the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), and not the State government’s Kanti Velugu (KV) scheme, families of the victims claim otherwise.
At least four families told this reporter that the patients had gotten their eyes examined at a Kanti Velugu camp in Warangal. According to them, the doctors referred the patients to Jaya Nursing Home in the city.
Express is in possession of a document, dated September 11, pertaining to B Sarojana, one of the patients who is undergoing treatment at LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad. Through this document, titled ‘Kanti Velugu Eye Screening Medical Record’, it is clear that she was screened at a KV camp in Warangal. At the bottom of the record, the words ‘Jaya Hospital’ is written in Telugu script. Families of three other patients, M Rajaiah, Janaki and K Sarojana, corroborated these claims.
However, Director of Public Health and Family Welfare DR G Srinivasa Rao maintained that all the patients had undergone screening and surgeries as part of NPCB and not under Kanti Velugu scheme.
On September 26, out of 19 patients who were operated at Jaya Nursing Home, 17 of them developed Endophthalmitis. They were taken to LVPEI on September 27. Director Rao said eight of these patients have regained their vision and will be discharged on Monday.
While the patients are happy that the treatment being provided to them at LVPEI is free, they express concern over their inability to pay for follow-up treatments.
Meanwhile, leaders from Telangana Telugu Desam Party (TTDP) and Communist party of India (CPI) demanded the government announce a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the patients. TTDP president L Ramana said, “We will organise a protest at Pragathi Bhavan to demand caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to announce compensation,” he said.