PATNA: In a startling case of alleged medical negligence, the eye of a man was found mysteriously missing a few hours after his death at Patna's Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) on Saturday. The family of the deceased caused a commotion at the hospital, accusing the doctors of removing the eye. However, the doctors suggested the possibility of rats gnawing at the body.
Rajiv Kumar, SHO of Alamganj police station, said Fantush Kumar, a resident of Nalanda, was admitted to NMCH on Friday after being shot in the stomach. "He died on Friday around 9pm and his body was kept in the hospital for postmortem as autopsies are not performed at night. When his family visited the body around 5am, they saw that his left eye was missing," he said.
Assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Atulesh Kumar Jha, said CCTV footage from the ICU and the hospital premises was being reviewed. "We are investigating from all angles. The written application from the deceased's family has not been received yet," he said.
Fantush was first admitted to a hospital in Nalanda on November 14 after being shot by an unknown assailant. Doctors there referred him to NMCH for better treatment. After undergoing surgery on Friday, he was placed in the ICU, where he passed away.
The hospital's medical superintendent, Dr Binod Kumar Singh, set up a four-member committee to investigate the allegations. The committee included the head of the eye department, Dr Pradeep Karak, the head of surgery Dr P D Verma, Dr Bijoy Kumar (head of anaesthesia) and a cornea transplant specialist.
Dr Singh said while some doctors speculated that rats may have gnawed at the body, others suggested that accomplices of the assailant could have removed the eye.
"A team of doctors performed the postmortem. Once the autopsy report comes in, we will know how the eye was gouged out. The hospital administration has also filed an FIR at Alamganj police station regarding the incident. Police are questioning the doctors who performed the operation on Friday," Dr Singh said.
He added that Fantush was admitted in serious condition due to the gunshot wound and died around 8.55pm on Friday. "There were two other patients in the ward. The family visited late Friday night but did not report the missing eye at that time. We were informed about it around 5am," he said.