HC seeks detailed report from Chief Secy
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Bengal Chief Secretary to file a comprehensive report in relation to the death of a patient after child delivery at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital allegedly following administration of “contaminated saline”.
Besides asking the state to “adequately compensate” the family of the deceased, a division bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya also directed the appropriate authority of the Central government to file a report in regard to the action taken against the pharmaceutical company which supplied the concerned drugs.
The bench observed that it is “rather disturbing” that despite an order passed by the licensing and controlling authority of Siliguri regional office, Drug Controller, West Bengal, on December 10 last year, directing the pharmaceutical company to stop manufacturing activities till further orders, no immediate action was taken by the Health department to suspend the usage of the concerned drugs.
The court further noted that on January 14, the Directorate of Health Services, Central Medical Store, issued a direction to all medical colleges and hospitals that all drugs manufactured by the company shouldn’t be used until further orders. The bench said it failed to understand why it took more than 10 days to pass an order to withdraw the existing stock.
The deputy solicitor general, representing the Union of India, told the court that the central government has taken action and the factory has been sealed and notices have been issued to the concerned company. Advocate General (AG) Kishore Datta, representing the state, submitted that the probe into the case lodged by the victim’s family was handed over to the state CID. He submitted that the 13-member committee formed by the state government has submitted its report to it on the matter. Dutta submitted that samples of each batch of the IV fluids were tested twice - once at a state laboratory and again at a NABL-accredited facility before they were used in the hospitals. Asked by the court whether the state government has put the concerned pharmaceutical company on notice, the AG answered in the negative.
A woman died and four others fell critically-ill after the delivery of babies at the hospital in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district allegedly after the administration of the intravenous fluid, prompting the health department to order an investigation. After the death of the woman and the deterioration of the health condition of four others, the state government formed a 13-member panel to probe the matter.
