Anantapur: Ophthalmic department of government general hospital in Anantapur has stopped conducting cataract surgeries and just holding routine check-ups for the patients due to lack of a surgery ward. Poor patients who are unable to spend money for cataract surgeries in private hospitals have been suffering since four months.
The authorities concerned in the ophthalmic department handed over the surgical ward to the psychiatric department, without alternative planning.
S.A. Krishna, 36, has been suffering due to vision loss, due to cataract in both eyes. He underwent cataract surgery in one eye one-and-a-half years ago and is now unable to get the surgery done for other eye. “Though, all medical tests were finished two months ago, doctors are unable to conduct surgery due to lack of new surgical ward,” he briefed and said that he is unable to spend huge money in private hospitals for cataract surgeries. Not only Krishna, several patients have been waiting for surgery at general hospital in Anantapur. Sources said that the authorities had proposed a surgical unit for the ophthalmic department at the time of handing over the ward to psychiatric department.
But, the proposal was changed to set up a surgical ward in orthopedic department in the hospital premises.
Patients, who had lost vision four years ago, have been suffering due to infection. It may take two more months to conduct surgeries as the newly proposed area needs to be tested and should be reported negative for ‘culture’.
It may take two more months to conduct surgeries. During a recent meeting, Anantapur Urban MLA Ananta Venkatrami Reddy had asked the authorities concerned to speed up the process.
