Tamil Nadu: Eye camp tragedy 1-year term for three hospital staff upheld

Tiruchy: The II Additional District Sessions court Judge here, Thiru. N. Logeswaram has upheld an order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, (CJM) who had sentenced three persons of a private eye hospital in Tiruchy, including its director, administrative officer and a senior ophthalmologist, to undergo one-year imprisonment for negligence, after 66 villagers lost their vision during a free cataract eye surgery camp conducted by the hospital in Perambalur during 2008.

It might be recalled that the 66 victims hailing from various villages in and around Perambalur and Villupuram districts took part in the free eye camp and had then lost their vision. The CBI, which probed the case following directions of the Madras High court, submitted that the Joseph Eye hospital neither followed the established sterilizing procedures while conducting the surgeries, nor maintained the operation theatre properly in their branch at Perambalur. The Judge also upheld the lower court's order that the hospital pay compensation to the tune of Rs 9.85 crore to the victims.