Over 15 people lose eyesight after undergoing surgery at Multan hospital

MULTAN: Medical negligence caused severe panic among locals in Multan after 16 people claimed to have lost eyesight after their respective surgeries at a private hospital in the city.

According to sources, the patients all of whom were poor and elderly visited the nursing and teaching hospital after the hospital administration had put up a banner announcing eye operations for the first time.

A patient, Rana Abdul Malik said all 16 individuals — among whom seven are women — experienced pain in their eyes a few hours after their respective surgeries at the hospital on March 20, 2021.

Malik said all the patients used the Sehat Insaf Card for their eye operations. The surgeries were conducted by Dr Hasnain Mushtaq at the hospital he added.

He said after the operation the bandage was removed and griped severe pain, throughout the night, and then, in the morning, his family called the doctor from the hospital,” Malik said.

The other people also faced the same issue, he said, adding the doctor prescribed medicine however, they feel pain continuously. Upon learning about the pain in their eyes, the hospital’s administration admitted the 16 people, kept them overnight, and discharged them in the morning.

The patients, all of whom have lost their eyesight, are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Multan and Lahore.

On the other hand, Dr Mushtaq — the eye surgeon who performed the operation — told a private news channel via phone that there was no negligence in the process. An infection, he claimed, had affected the eyesight of all 16 people.

The doctor also expressed suspicion that the operation theatre, which came into use for the first time for eye surgeries, was not properly disinfected. The victims have demanded higher authorities to investigate the incident and provide them justice.