Sagar: A 19-month-old child has allegedly lost his eyesight permanently after being administered the wrong medicine at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, prompting an official inquiry and a police investigation.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over patient safety in government healthcare facilities. It has also drawn political attention as the case emerged in the home district of the state’s Health Minister.
According to the family, the child, a resident of Bhusa Kamalpur village in Sagar district, was taken to Banda Civil Hospital after developing mild cold, cough and redness in the eyes. The child’s father, Indraraj Vishwakarma, said the boy was examined by paediatrician Dr Himanshu Verma, who prescribed eye drops, paracetamol and other medicines.
The family has alleged that hospital staff mistakenly put cough medicine into the child’s eyes instead of the prescribed eye drops. Soon after, the child’s condition deteriorated. He was first shifted to Sagar District Hospital and later referred to AIIMS Bhopal for advanced treatment.
According to the family, doctors at AIIMS informed them that the severe reaction caused by the wrong medication had resulted in permanent loss of vision.
The child’s father has filed a written complaint at Banda police station against the duty doctor and hospital staff, seeking legal action.
The Health Department has launched an inquiry into the incident. The Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of Sagar has constituted a three-member committee and directed it to submit its report within seven days. Police have also initiated a separate investigation.
The case comes days after another alleged instance of medical negligence in Sagar district, where a patient reportedly died at Bundelkhand Medical College following an alleged overdose of anaesthesia and delayed treatment. The state Health Minister had ordered an inquiry into that incident as well.
