Just one day after it was disclosed that the eyesight of up to 40 diabetes patients had been adversely affected by substandard injections in Lahore, cases of vision impairment have emerged in other cities within the Punjab province.
Nasir Jamal, the Punjab caretaker Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare, revealed on Sunday that separate individuals were selling counterfeit injections in Lahore, Kasur, Multan, and Sadiqabad.
He further mentioned that data is being collected on those involved in the sale of counterfeit injections across various cities within the province.
“It’s important to note that none of the individuals engaged in this network of counterfeit injection sales have been apprehended yet,” he stated. However, he added that a request for filing cases against those responsible for producing fake injections had been submitted.
Moreover, Nasir Jamal stated, “We are also compiling a list of individuals affected by these counterfeit injections.”
In response to these incidents, the Punjab Health Department has formed a committee led by ophthalmologist Dr. Asad Aslam to investigate the matter. This development followed the revelation by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Chaudhry Manzoor, who disclosed that his brother and a friend experienced vision impairment after receiving the injections directly into their eyes.
“The injections caused infections in their eyes and subsequently led to vision problems,” he explained.
Chaudhry Manzoor added that upon transferring his brother to a Lahore hospital, he found that 18 other patients with similar conditions were already admitted to the medical facility.
Confirming the reports, Punjab caretaker Health Minister Dr. Javed Akram informed Geo News that at least 40 individuals had been impacted by substandard injections. Dr. Akram assured that the entire supply of substandard injections had been removed from the market.
Dr. Aslam concurred that the injections had affected the retinas of diabetes patients and confirmed that out of the 40 affected individuals, 12 had permanently lost their eyesight.
