My father had cataract, as he lives in a village in north east, we decided to bring him here in bangalore for treatmeant. I keep reading in newspapers bangalore is goin go be health care hub, and I have taken up a job in bangalore and choice was obvious.
First day we visited agarwal’s a doctor examined my father and gave a very grim picture, he had infection will need to take 5 injections(1k each) in next 5 days, a set of blood tests. After that he will need cataract operation on both eyes. He was given first injection on that next.
Next day as we went for for second injection, we have been told that we should have the operation done on the same day. I was very surprised to hear that because just the before we were advised that he has infection and operation can not be done. Dr sunita agarwal and her administrator started to convince that why delay lets get it done. I did see any intension to findout cause of infection, all the blood tests they were talking about. I told them I do not have 40k(for cataract) ready and will prefer injections to be completed before operation.
Everyday we visit for injection, administrators would meet and talk about operation, as if all they were interested in is getting 40k as soon as possible. It did not sound quite right to me, my wife and parents were concerned at doctors and support stuffs interest in getting operation done immediately(they could not tolerate 5 days delay). We still went ahead with the operation(even though in my mind I felt something is not right), as a professional I did not want to doubt a doctors advise. Operation was done in the same week, immediately after operation administators meet us again and advised some sort adult stem cell treatmeant. I did get a good answer as to what is the real advantage on the stem cell treatmeant. It appeared to be experimental treatment at best. I was not ready to get experiemented on my dad’s eye and shell out money for that. Anyway we were advised that some laser treament is done for strengthening eye(my dad did not know when it was done).
Unfortunately after spending over 50k his vision did not improve at all. At every visit doctor will examine and claim it’s improving and vision is much better, but my father never fealt he can see any better then he could before operation. Every now and then doctor would try to find fault with after operation care at home. After about 4 weeks, my father started to feel home sick, he wanted to go back to village. He was becoming mentally depressed, he has never lived out of village. City life with sick feeling made him very depressed. He started agreeing with doctor in agarwal, may be vision is better now. Doctors prescribed medicine and advised him to go home and he will recover fully in few more weeks.
He went back with home and within 2 months he has almost lost his vision. We had taken him to a hospital in kolkata this time and got his eyes operated again. Now his vision is better again, still did not recover fully. What I understand - doctors in kolkata advised the cause of vision loss was cmplication during or post operation. I guess from all the experience I can tell with resonable confidence that I was really incompetant doctors money making attempt that caused my father so much suffering at this old age.