Thaindian News

Raipur, Oct 20 (IANS) The Chhattisgarh government, under criticism for botched eye operations at a health camp that have so far left 45 poor people blinded, Thursday said it was committed towards the medical care of all the affected but denied that three people had died after the surgeries.

The week-long government health camp, that ended Sep 30, was organised in Durg district’s Balod area, 120 km from here. The victims were operated upon for cataract.

Chhattisgarh’s Directorate of Health Services admitted in a press statement that 334 lens transplantations were done at the camp for cataract patients.

“Lens transplantations were done by three experienced doctors at the camp and it (the directorate) was committed to medically take care of all the affected patients,” the health directorate said.

But it denied that three patients, who were among those operated upon at Balod, died due to operation blunders.

“They met natural deaths, their eyes were not infected,” the statement added.

The National Human Rights Commission has reportedly issued notice to the state’s chief secretary seeking a report about the incident.

The opposition Congress, that has set up its own panel to inquire into the ‘operation blunders’, sought resignation of Chief Minister Raman Singh and state Health Minister Amar Agrawal.

“The chief minister and the health minister should own moral responsibility for dozens of people who were blinded at the government health camp and must step down,” state Congress president Nandkumar Patel told reporters.