Botched eye treatment: Delhi govt seeks report from hospital

New Delhi: Delhi government's health department has sought a report from GTB hospital over the botched eye treatment there, even as a woman who was affected by the injection died apparently of a cardiac arrest.

The family members of the deceased have alleged that the medicines which she was taking for heart-related ailments had to be stopped as she was put on different medication when she developed blurred vision after being injected with alleged "contaminated" medicine on April 1.

"She died of cardiac arrest late on Friday night (April 7) after her condition deteriorated," said a relative.

The GTB hospital has constituted a committee to probe the incident in which 20 eye patients had to be rushed to AIIMS from GTB Hospital last Sunday after they were allegedly administered "contaminated" injections. Eight of them had to be operated upon.

Some of the patients, who were discharged and are on medication, alleged that their eye-sight has not been completely restored and they are still facing problems.

The hospital authorities had also sent the sample of the medicine and the injections to a microbiology lab for testing.

"We have sought a report from the GTB hospital into the matter. Preliminary enquiry had found that the drug used were not out of expiry dates. We are yet to receive the laboratory report," a senior health department official said.

One of the vials of the medicine – Avastin – administered was suspected to have been contaminated.

According to Dr Atul Kumar, Chief of the RP Centre for Opthalmic Sciences at the AIIMS, the batch of patients were injected with Avastin (Bevacizumab) which is an anti-growth factor drug used to prevent irreversible blindness in patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

"Avastian is classified as a sight-saving drug and is used all over the world. Now in this case, these patients probably were given contaminated injections as they developed blurred vision accompanied with mild pain.

"Eight of them had to be operated upon to remove the infectious part of the vitreous humor, while the vision of the rest improved after primary treatment," Dr Kumar said.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Delhi government seeking a detailed report within four weeks into the matter.