The report says the child was also suffering from vitamin A deficiency
BHOPAL: More than a month after a 19-month-old boy allegedly lost vision in both eyes following treatment at a civil hospital in Sagar district, the probe into the case has taken a new turn.
BHOPAL:The child’s family continues to allege that a nasal drop was mistakenly administered in place of an eye drop, while a three-member inquiry committee submitted its report to the in charge chief medical and health officer (CMHO) on Wednesday, attributing the vision loss to severe malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency.The case dates back to May 29, when the boy in Banda was taken to the local civil hospital with complaints of cold and redness in his eyes.
His father alleged that after purchasing medicines prescribed by the duty doctor from the hospital pharmacy, he returned to get them checked.According to the family, the doctor, allegedly busy on a phone call, asked him to put the drops into the child’s eyes without verifying the bottle. Moments later, the toddler screamed in pain and his condition deteriorated. He was referred to Sagar district hospital and later to AIIMS Bhopal, where the family says he eventually lost vision in both eyes.
According to the inquiry report, however, the child was suffering from severe malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency, which led to corneal keratomalacia and corneal ulceration — a condition that can result in blindness if left untreated. CMHO Dr Devesh Pateria said the child is under treatment at AIIMS Bhopal and doctors there are considering a corneal transplant during his follow-up.“The nasal drop may cause burning or irritation if instilled in the eye, but it does not cause loss of vision,” Dr Pateria said.Even as the committee ruled out the nasal drop as the cause of blindness, it has triggered another investigation. Officials confirmed that the bottle shown by the family was a govt-supplied medicine. However, stock records from Banda community health centre showed that the nasal drop had been out of stock there since April. The district hospital also reported that it did not have the medicine in stock. “The medicine is meant only for govt supply, and we are now trying to establish where the nasal drop shown by the family came from,” Dr Pateria said.He added if the child was indeed severely malnourished, he should have been under the care of a nutrition rehabilitation centre, and records have been sought from ASHA workers and the women and child development department to examine whether proper follow-up was carried out. The child’s father, however, stood by his allegations.
