Ganesh Thopate (46), a resident of Khanapur village in Pune's Sinhgad area, on Friday, claimed that he lost his vision and his right leg due to the negligence of the doctors at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. While narrating his ordeal to The Free Press Journal, Thopate expressed his frustration, adding that his family is facing financial difficulties as they exhausted all their savings for his treatment.
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"I met with an accident on September 18, 2023. My right leg was fractured in the accident. I was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. The doctors operated and implanted an iron plate and I was asked to take complete bed rest for three months. I followed the line of treatment, and after three months of the surgery, I developed an infection. My wife took me back to the hospital and they said they'll have to remove the screw and the plate. Accordingly, it was removed and then doctors did not guide us well on what will be the next procedure. I was discharged but there was no sign of recovery. I developed a wound with pus and then we went to another hospital and the doctor said they'll have to remove the half leg as it was severely affected by the infection caused by pus," Thopate said.
He added that in February 2025 the vision of his right eye got blurred. "The doctors at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital directed and suggested that an injection that will cost us around ₹12,000 will help me retain the vision. Also, I'm diabetic. So, we did what the doctors asked us to do but my vision got even worse and then the doctors said that it would be cured by an operation. They said that after three days of operations, my vision will be back. Accordingly, the operation was done in the first week of March. It's been a month now but I can't see anything, not even blur, my vision is completely gone," Thopate said.
With no right leg and vision, Thopate said he feels helpless. "I was the sole breadwinner of the family. I have two kids, a mother, a grandmother and a wife to take care of. I want authorities to hear my plea and take action against the culprits," he added.
Kalyani Thopate, wife of the patient, said, "Till date, we have spent ₹25 lakh for my husband's treatment. All our savings have been exhausted. The hospital is doing business; they don't care about patients. They have this whole nexus where they complicate the issue and charge you heavily, also they don't take admission without money even in the most serious cases. My husband was the only earning member of our family and my heart sinks seeing him in this condition. We are a family of six, I have two kids and two elderly people in my house, and the future of my kids is in the dark as we don't have money even to pay for their school fees. I urge authorities to take action against the hospital administration."
The Free Press Journal tried to contact the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital administration for their comments but got no response.
