Patients getting better 8212; Clinic

MUMBAI, September 9: Perhaps Frankie Castro's only fault was that he got there first. He was the first patient to be operated at Conwest ...

MUMBAI, September 9: Perhaps Frankie Castro8217;s only fault was that he got there first. He was the first patient to be operated at Conwest Jain Clinic at Girgaum on September 2. And he was also among the first to lose vision in one eye as he bore the maximum brunt of the infection.

Says his wife Julie, Frankie had been operated for one eye at the same clinic earlier, which made the couple return for an operation on the other one. After Julie got Frankie admitted on September 1 for his operation on the next day, she left for home, she says.

Frankie started getting severe pain and vomitting at around 2.30 am after the operation. By the time Julie landed at the hospital that morning, her husband was already being treated, she says. After being shifted to another hospital for corrective surgery, Frankie has been brought back to Conwest and is now under observation.

Doctors say his infection has reduced, but that8217;s little comfort for Frankie, a taxi driver. Every day that he stays hospitalised, he loses hisearnings for that day. 8220;We will somehow manage without the earnings,8221; says Julie bravely.

In the next room is Hemlata Shah 69, who was also operated on September 2 in the left eye. Like Frankie, her pain came on the next day, and she too got blinded in one eye. But doctors now say her infected eye is reacting to light, and she could even regain her vision.

Another patient Hajrabi Yusuf 65 was already blind in the right eye for the last eight years, and she later developed cataract in the left one, said her relative A H Sheikh. Due to the infection, she may never be able to see again as her chances of getting her vision back are very slim, he said. The hospital has assured them of the best possible care, and therefore, Yusuf8217;s relatives are not thinking of demanding compensation at the moment, he added.

Hospital administrator Dr Saroj Damani said sonography tests were conducted on the patients today, and they were showing signs of improvement. Senior eye surgeons from various hospitals have beenvisiting the patients and giving advice over their treatment. The hospital has offered to take care of the patients for the next six to eight months free of cost, Damani told Express Newsline.