Every surgery carries certain risks, but what happened to more than 10 people in a poor rural district in India is a tragedy.
About 15 men and women who are 50 years old and above became blind after undergoing a cataract surgery organized by a non-government organization during the last few days of November.
The patients came from Amritsar, but they were operated on Gurdaspur where Guru Nanak Foundation set up an eye camp. The patients eventually developed eye infections, which then led to their eyesight loss.
The local authorities in Amritsar learned about this problem only within this week when the patients were presented to Ravi Bahgat, the district's deputy commissioner. They were immediately brought to a hospital, where doctors sadly confirmed that the blindness is already irreversible.
One doctor expressed shock as it seemed no one really knew that the said NGO was going to hold an eye camp. Currently, the government is launching an inquiry, while the deputy commissioner will act based on the findings of the authorities in Amritsar.
This, however, wasn't the only time when a healthcare program turned unfortunate. A botched sterilization operation killed more than 10 women and placed more under critical condition.
The surgery, which happened in Chhatissgarh, was part of the population control project of the country. India ranks no. 2 in terms of population, with more than 1.252 billion people in 2013. It came in second to China, which has 1.357 billion.
Women complained of vomiting and a drop in their pulse, among others, after the surgery. The operation, which was funded by the government, was conducted in an operation room in a hospital that hasn't been used for more than three months. The healthcare facility is also not fully functional.
These cases highlight the poor health infrastructure in the country, especially in the rural areas.