Punjab seals Multan facility over botched surgeries, facilitates patients at public hospital

• Punjab govt seals Multan hospital involved in botched surgeries that left over a dozen patients blinded in one eye.
• Victims were examined at the ophthalmology department of Multan's Nishtar Hospital.
• Punjab Healthcare Commission to decide on whether the 16 victims should be admitted to the hospital or sent home with medicines.

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ISLAMABAD: The government of Punjab has sealed a hospital in Multan involved in botched surgeries that left over a dozen patients blinded in one eye, facilitating the victims at a public health facility instead.

At least 16 individuals — among whom seven are women — claimed last week they had lost their eyesight at the same time allegedly after their respective surgeries at a local private hospital in Multan. All of them had used the Sehat Insaf Card — a flagship public health initiative by the incumbent PTI government — for their operation, according to one of the patients.

Chief Executive Health Officer Dr Arshad Malik said the 16 people were being examined at the ophthalmology department of Multan's Nishtar Hospital after their botched surgeries at a private hospital.

The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) recommended the patients in question be provided with a check-up, Dr Malik explained, following which it would be apprised of the treatment of the affected persons and decide whether they should be admitted to the hospital or sent home with medicines.

The chief health officer added that the Commission would complete its investigation today (Tuesday), while a five-member inquiry committee formed by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has already submitted its report on the matter.

The committee "will take strict legal action against those found guilty upon completion of the inquiry", a local paper had reported, citing an official handout.

Earlier, the private hospital where the botched surgeries were carried out, leaving more than a dozen patients blinded, was sealed by the PHC. The facility's treatment records were confiscated and its operating rooms shut down.

PHC chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz had said in this regard that 12 of the 16 people were completely blinded in one of their eyes.

"Doctors' shortcomings have come to light," Dr Aziz had said, vowing to identify those who were responsible for the botched surgeries once the investigation was completed.

Almost all of the patients were poor and elderly, according to Geo News reporter Imran Chaudhry, and they had visited the nursing and teaching hospital after it put up a banner announcing eye operations for the first time.

One of the patients had told Geo News that the operations were carried out by Dr Hasnain Mushtaq, an eye surgeon who denied any negligence in the process.

Dr Mushtaq had claimed that an infection had affected the eyesight of all 16 people. He had also expressed suspicion that the operation theatre — which came into use for the first time for eye surgeries — was not properly disinfected.

The aforementioned patient had explained how he "knew my eye had been ruined" once the bandage was removed and that all of them experienced pain throughout the night.

"In the morning, I called the doctor [who] prescribed medicine and then all of us went to the hospital, where some were admitted while others were forced to take medicine and asked to return to their homes," the patient had said.