TGMC finds serious violations at private eye hospitals in Miryalaguda

The Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) has uncovered widespread irregularities at private eye hospitals in Miryalaguda town of Nalgonda district during surprise inspections conducted on Friday (December 19).

A total of seven centres were inspected, and TGMC officials found that none of these eye hospitals had a qualified ophthalmologist working with them. Several of these centres had obtained licences from the District Registration Authority by listing the names of qualified ophthalmologists, but were being run by ophthalmology and optometry technicians.

These technicians were found to be prescribing medicines and diagnostic tests beyond their qualifications and, in some cases, performing surgical procedures without the presence of a qualified doctor. The ophthalmologists, whose names appeared on the licences, were found to be practising in Hyderabad and other cities, said a release.

TGMC officials said that the inspection team reported serious violations at Sri Venkateswara Eye Hospital and Shalini Eye Hospital. Dr. M. Bharat Bhushan and Dr. K. Venkateswarlu, who hold only MBBS degrees, were found to be falsely claiming MS (Ophthalmology) qualifications and projecting themselves as eye specialists. The hospitals were being operated largely through technicians, with no qualified ophthalmologist available to treat patients.

Officials also flagged concerns at Komala Medical and General Store, where A. Koteshwar Rao was found to have set up beds in a first aid centre without any recognised medical qualification and was found to be administering antibiotics and steroid injections.

The centres inspected by TGMC officials included Sri Venkateswara Eye Hospital, Sri Mahalakshmi Eye Hospital, Annapurna Netralayam, Yashasvi Eye Hospital, Shalini Eye Clinic, Rafa Vision Care Center and Shiva Sai Eye Hospital.

TGMC said criminal cases would be registered against all individuals found to be running these centres without recognised medical qualifications. The council has also issued notices to the ophthalmologists in whose names the licences for these facilities were obtained, warning that their MBBS licences would be suspended if satisfactory explanation was not submitted.