Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Only two medical institutions in Madhya Pradesh, AIIMS Bhopal and Gandhi Medical College (GMC) Bhopal, currently have the facility for human amniotic membrane grafting (AMG), a specialised procedure used in complex eye injuries. No other government medical college in state offers this treatment, despite broader claims of expanding tertiary health care, officials and doctors said.
Children injured in recent calcium carbide-related ocular incidents in Gwalior were referred to Bhopal for AMG procedures. Doctors said that AMG is used across medical disciplines, particularly in ophthalmology, to repair damaged tissue and support healing in severe injuries.
The amniotic membrane, sourced from placenta, is used for grafting to aid recovery in cases requiring tissue regeneration. It is also widely used in burns, dentistry, urology, ENT treatment and stem cell-based therapies.
During the recent carbide injury cases, 13 children underwent surgery at AIIMS Bhopal, while two surgeries were performed at Hamidia Hospital, which is attached to GMC Bhopal.
Officials from the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) acknowledged that AMG facilities are not available in other medical colleges, making referrals to Bhopal unavoidable in serious eye trauma cases.
Dr. Lalit Shrivastava, senior ophthalmologist at Kamla Nehru Hospital and former president of the Madhya Pradesh Medical Officers Association, said the graft material is not the challenge, but technical expertise is.
AMG material is available, but the required surgical technique and support system exist only at AIIMS and Hamidia. Since the carbide injuries involved children, no other medical college wanted to take the risk. That is why the patients were referred here, he said.
