By Our Web Reporter
LAHORE MIRROR — Panic is still gripping eye patients and people in general despite ‘prompt’ action by the Punjab health authorities against manufacturers and suppliers of ‘Avastin‘ that led to the blindness of several patients.
In another distressing incident of eyesight loss, a retired Punjab Police Inspector in Bahawalpur tragically lost his vision after undergoing an eye injection procedure at a private hospital.
According to official sources, Rana Hakim, the retired inspector, is now actively advocating for measures to be taken against individuals involved in producing and distributing such injections.
Punjab health authorities have initiated a criminal case against the manufacturers of an adulterated eye medication, which has resulted in the loss of eyesight for more than a dozen diabetic patients, including a sibling of senior PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed.
An investigative team of medical professionals expressed concerns on Sunday regarding the potential increase in the number of affected individuals, as it was discovered that the tainted drug had been distributed to numerous trust hospitals, other healthcare facilities, and the local market.
The issue of adverse effects stemming from the locally produced injection, known as Avestin, was addressed during a meeting between the caretaker federal Minister for National Health Services (NHS), Dr. Nadeem Jan, and his Punjab counterpart, Dr. Jamal Nasir.
Following the meeting, Dr. Nadeem Jan informed the media that a five-member committee, headed by Prof. Asad Aslam, had been established to investigate whether the medication, cold chain management, sterilization procedures, or the skills of the medical practitioners involved caused the eye damage.
Read More: 12 Diabetic Patients Report Vision Loss After Receiving ‘Defective Injection
A high-powered team from the health department conducted a raid on the manufacturing unit located within a private hospital.
During the operation, they seized the illicit drugs and initiated departmental proceedings upon discovering that the owners were operating this illegal unit, flagrantly violating drug regulations.
The raiding team consisted of several officials, including Deputy Drug Controller Hassan Haider Shah (Nishtar Town), Deputy Drug Controller Bilal Yasin (Muridke), Drug Inspector Kamal Sikandar (Wagha Town), Deputy Drug Controller Sher Zaman (Iqbal Town), Drug Inspector Rameez Ahmad Khan (Samanabad), and Drug Inspector Amanullah (Sharaqpur).
According to the FIR, Deputy Drug Controller Hafiz Alam Sher alleged that the raiding team observed that the accused owners of the unit were illicitly producing various unregistered drugs, including Avastin (1.25mg and 0.05mg).
The team subsequently submitted a report to the district quality control secretary, stating that the accused individuals had committed a grave offense by manufacturing unregistered drugs, in blatant violation of drug regulations.
In different districts such as Lahore, Kasur, and Jhang, numerous diabetic patients had received Avastin injections to treat retinal damage.
Unfortunately, these injections led to severe infections, ultimately causing eyesight loss for approximately 12 patients, which included the brother of PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor and his friend.
In Kasur, four individuals, namely Chaudhry Shabbir, Main Aslam, Taufeeq, and Nasrin Bibi, also suffered ‘irreversible’ vision loss.
Chaudhry Manzoor took to Twitter to alert health authorities about the adverse effects of the drug, specifically mentioning that his brother had been transferred from Kasur to Lahore General Hospital for further treatment due to the severe impact on his eyesight.
