A high-level BMC inquiry has held three doctors responsible for botched-up eye surgeries of seven patients, three of whom went blind, at the civic-run Hinduhriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray (HBT) Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari (West Mumbai) last month.

The committee conducted the probe and submitted the report to Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Tuesday. It called for suspension of licences of the three negligent doctors, Dr Arun Chaudhary, the operating surgeon, and two postgraduate resident doctors, Dr Basir and Dr Kacha.

The doctors are not employees of the BMC and served as honorary doctors. Therefore, the civic body will share the report with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), urging it to suspend their licenses. An FIR will also be filed against the doctors.

Dr Shivkumar Uttare, president of MMC, said that they were waiting for the BMC’s report. He added that if found guilty, strict action will be taken against the doctors.

The report was prepared by Additional Municipal Commissioner IZ Kundan, Dr Sheela Kerkar and Dr Geeta Natrajan, senior ophthalmologist and senior microbiologist, respectively, of KEM hospital.

According to the inquiry report, the instruments used on the patients were not put in the autoclave, a device that uses steam to sterilize the equipment. The doctors used saline wash instead.

A senior doctor stated that junior doctors operated on the patients while Dr Chaudhary assisted them. The juniors had raised the autoclave issue, but Dr Chaudhary had a very casual approach. Additionally, the eye OT was fumigated every 15 days. However, according to the infection control committee, the OT should be fumigated every week.

The report also mentioned that Dr Chaudhary gave anesthesia to the patients, instead of the anesthetist. His casual approach was responsible for the mismanaged surgeries. Following the surgeries, the patients suffered a severe bacterial infection.

Dr Chaudhary, who has been associated with the hospital for the last two years, told the panel that he had operated on hundreds of patients but no post-operative complaints were ever reported. He blamed the operation theatre in-charge for not following the infection control check list and denied that the patients got infection through the instruments.

As soon as the incident came to light, the BMC transferred the medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr HS Bawa, and terminated the services of Dr Chaudhary. Dr Basir and Dr Kacha were working as “bond candidates” and left the hospital after their term got over on January 31.

The opposition parties in the state have demanded jobs and compensation for the victims. All the seven patients, who were shifted to KEM, have been discharged.