Three more patients face partial blindness after undergoing cataract surgery at Khon Kaen Hospital. Seven other patients have already lost sight in one of their eyes for the same reason.
It is suspected that the eye cleaner used during cataract surgery mid last month was contaminated and infected 11 of the 25 patients.
The affected patients have already been given Bt50,000 in compensation each and will be getting another Bt120,000. In addition, the Public Health Ministry has said that they would be entitled to free treatment for all medical complaints for the rest of their lives.
The hospital's director Dr Weerapan Supanchaimat said yesterday that it could only be the eye cleaner that caused the infections, because tests have shown that the surgical tools and medical appliances used during the surgery as well as samples of air and the surroundings were not contaminated. The eye cleaner is used both before and after the surgery.
So far, four of the 11 patients are still in hospital for further treatment.
"Of these four, only one has shown satisfactory recovery," Weerapan said.
An eye surgeon at the Khon Kaen Hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that normally big packs of eye cleaner were kept ready in operating theatres. "Each pack has several bottles and are used on dozens of patients. The latest pack was used up between December 14 and 16 and the bottles have already been thrown away," he said, adding that it was possible the eye cleaner was contaminated before it was placed in the operating theatre.
Dr Weerasak Anut-angkoon, chief of the hospital's ophthalmology division, said all surgical tools for eye operations had been replaced and operating theatres had been sterilised.
"We will adopt stringent measures about handling surgical tools," he said, adding that the hospital needed to boost patients' confidence.
Another source said that more than 1,000 people awaiting eye surgery cancelled their appointments as soon as the hospital admitted that some patients had developed serious infections.
However, Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit has called on the patients to keep their appointments.
"Go ahead with your scheduled surgeries because infections like these are very rare," he said, adding that failure to get timely treatment could result in permanent blindness. In 2008, up to 121,383 cataract patients had been treated at state hospitals.
Paijit added that all healthcare facilities had now learned the importance of ensuring cleanliness and closely following up on patients.
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