The High Court yesterday directed Impact Masudul Hoque Memorial Community Health Centre in Chuadanga and IRIS Enterprise, a medicine supplier, to pay Tk 10 lakh in compensation to each of the 17 victims who lost their eyesight following surgery at a health camp.

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the order.

Impact Masudul Hoque Memorial Community Health Centre, the organiser of the health camp, and IRIS Enterprise that supplied medicine in the surgeries, were directed to share the burden of the compensation equally.

The court also asked the hospital to provide free treatment for life to the victims along with three others who also suffered infection after undergoing surgery at the health camp in March. Wherever the victims want to be treated, Impact must bear the expenses.

Besides compensation of these victims, the court asked for the formation of a seven-member body, led by a senior official (additional secretary) of the health ministry, to look into the frequent occurrence of such incidents, where patients are made to undergo additional suffering, sometimes even loss of life, at the hands of doctors in hospitals or clinics due to wrong  treatment.

At least one expert each from the legal and medical professions was recommended to be in the seven-member body.

On April 1, the HC issued a rule asking officials concerned to explain as to why the same victims should not be given Tk 1 crore each in compensation after hearing a writ petition filed by lawyer Amit Das Gupta.

On March 5, twenty-four patients underwent cataract operations at the hospital and a day after the surgery, all the patients were released.

But a few hours after returning home, 20 of them felt severe pain in their eyes due to infection.