After botched surgeries, BMC wants unit head’s license revoked

Taking note of the botched cataract surgeries at the civic-run HinduhridaySamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Hospital on January 4 that led to varying degrees of vision loss in seven patients, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Ajoy Mehta has barred Dr Arun Choudhary, assistant honorary professor and head of the ophthalmic unit, from practising in any public hospital until the completion of the full-fledged departmental enquiry (FFDE).

He has asked the Maharashtra Medical Council to start proceedings to cancel Dr Choudhary’s registration, pending which he is to be restrained from performing surgeries or procedures involving health and well-being of patients.

Mehta has sought an inquiry against Dr Ganesh Shinde, dean of RN Cooper Hospital, the parent unit of the trauma centre.

Preliminary investigations revealed the cause of the infection was repeated use of unsterilised surgical equipment. The infection was spread by pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium found in hospitals. “The action will serve two purposes, first, the persons responsible will face punishment and secondly, faults in the system will be corrected to prevent such tragic incidents,” said Mehta, in his report.

Dr Shivkumar Utture, MMC president, said, “We haven’t got the directive. According to the MMC Act, we will initiate an internal inquiry to look into the ethical issue. Action will be taken based on the report.”

The Bombay Ophthalmologist Association (BOA) has refused to accept the order. “The absence of protocol to sterilise equipment can’t be the responsibility of the doctor. It is the job of the supporting medical staff. The complications were not because of surgical errors, but bacterial infection. We will wait for the final FFDE report and plan our action accordingly,” said Dr Nikhil Gokhale, president, BOA.

Mehta, however, has come down heavily on Dr Shinde, terming the latter’s previous inquiry report “frivolous” and his approach in managing the hospital and subsequent action “casual”. He has asked the health department to suspend staff nurses, Veena Khirsagar and Dipti Khedekar, registrar, Dr Mohammad Sabir, house officer, Dr Kushal Kacha, dresser, Ashok Kamble and multipurpose labourer Umesh Kundaikar. Khirsagar and Khedekar, until the completion of the inquiry. Dr H Bawa, medical superintendent of HBT Trauma Hospital who is under FFDE enquiry, is barred from any supervisory roles in the public health department.