Himachal Pradesh government denies involvement in botched eye surgeries

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh government today said that no eye surgeries were conducted at Nurpur in Kangra district of the state, refuting reports of botched surgeries that resulted in the loss of vision of 10 patients.

"The news item published and telecast in a section of media regarding eye operations conducted from March 22 to 29, 2014 is totally false and not based on facts," a spokesperson of the State Health Department told reporters here.

During the said period, only eye screening of patients had been done at the complex of Nagni Mata Prabandhak Committee in Nurpur city of Kangra district by a private doctor Nitin Salaria.

The patients were later shifted to the Salaria Eye Hospital in Punjab's Pathankot district for the surgeries and all the arrangements were made by the committee.

The State Health Department had no involvement in eye operations conducted at the hospital, the spokesperson clarified and added that the department had not organised any such camps in the corresponding period in the state.