Another alleged victim of ‘negligent’ Vashi-based ophthalmologist duo is awaiting report of panel formed four years ago to get justice; the court had, in 2021, ordered the formation of a medical committee of doctors at JJ Hospital to investigate the matter
Dharavi resident Farooq Shaikh, whose right eye had to be removed due to alleged medical negligence. PIC/SHADAB KHAN
Another victim has come forward alleging medical negligence after undergoing treatment at the Pandit Eye Surgery & Laser Hospital at Sector 10, Vashi, in 2020. Dharavi resident, Farooq Shaikh, 65, who permanently lost his vision in his right eye, sought Rs 25 lakh in compensation, and a consumer court ordered last year that he be paid Rs 7 lakh for permanent disability.
The court had, in 2021, ordered the formation of a medical committee of doctors at JJ Hospital to investigate the matter. However, the panel has not submitted its report in the past four years, hindering the Dharavi police from registering an FIR and leaving the man in legal limbo. “I’ve lost my eyesight, and still no FIR has been filed,” he said.
The court, after scrutinising the medical case papers, had noted an infection of panophthalmitis with endophthalmitis, which resulted in complete and irreversible loss of vision in his right eye. Shaikh, who ran an autorickshaw consultancy in Dharavi, underwent surgery in January 2020. He alleged that Dr Chandan Pandit performed the operation at his clinic, but used the name and signature of his father, Dr DV Pandit, on all medical documents.
Recounting the incident, Shaikh told mid-day, “In January 2020, I experienced blurry vision in my right eye and visited Dr Pandit’s clinic in Vashi. Dr Chandan Pandit told me I needed cataract surgery and that the fee was Rs 15,000. I paid the amount, and he performed the surgery. It was extremely painful, and after a few days, the pain worsened. When I went back to him, he referred me to a doctor at an eye clinic in Jogeshwari. There, the doctor found an infection in my eye and told me it was life-threatening, and that my eyeball needed to be removed. The doctor subsequently went ahead with the procedure.”
“However, after a few days, I consulted other doctors and learned that the infection was due to Dr Pandit’s medical negligence. I approached the Dharavi police to register an FIR against him, but they refused and told me to approach the Indian Medical Council for an investigation. I immediately filed a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Central Mumbai.”
In its judgment on November 28, 2024, the commission recorded that the surgery had been performed without conducting basic pre-operative tests such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It ordered Dr Pandit to pay Rs 7 lakh in compensation and R10,000 in costs, terming the case one of “gross medical negligence and unprofessional conduct”.
Advocates Dilawar Shaikh and Sarvesh Khopkar, representing the complainant since 2020, pursued all necessary legal proceedings, filing complaints before the Medical Council, the police station, and the Consumer Commission.
Shaikh said, “I am unable to walk alone. I stopped working after the surgery. I have fallen multiple times while walking. My left eye pains continuously and is constantly watering. The court ordered compensation for my loss, but so far, Dr Pandit and his son have not given me a single rupee. I want to see the two of them in jail for life. They are not gods — they are devils who are running an eye hospital only to make money.”
Dilawar Shaikh told mid-day, “We need justice for Farooq Shaikh. The committee should submit a report on this matter so that the Dharavi police can register the FIR. We also approached to court to ensure a FIR is registered against these doctors and their licence is cancelled so that no one else has to suffer in the future.” An FIR into the matter has already been filed at the Vashi police station by another victim, Rajendra Gupta, and the report contains the statements of four others whose vision was allegedly damaged by Dr Pandit.
Police Speak
Senior Inspector Raju Bidkar of Dharavi police station said, “We are waiting for the report of the committee, which is investigating this matter. Before the investigation is completed, we can't register any FIR in this matter.”
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