'Expired' IV fluid row: Bengal govt suspends 12 doctors, Calcutta High Court seeks report from state chief secy

'The reports filed by the CID and that by the expert committee are the same. We have found negligence by several doctors, we have decided to suspend 12 doctors,' Banerjee told reporters.

Kolkata: On a day the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal chief secretary to file a comprehensive report placing on record all facts for the death of a patient after child delivery at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital allegedly after administration of 'expired' intravenous fluid, the state suspended 12 doctors of the hospital on grounds of negligence.

Condemning the incident, chief minister Mamata Banerjee offered the family of the deceased woman a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a government job for her next of kin.

A division bench of the high court presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam also directed the relevant central government authority to file a report on the action taken against the pharmaceutical company that supplied the drugs in question.

A 31-year old woman, who had delivered a baby on January 8, died the following day and four others turned critical after childbirth at the Midnapore medical college allegedly from administration of 'expired' intravenous fluid, prompting the state health department to constitute a 13-member committee to investigate the matter. On Monday, the state government ordered a parallel CID probe into the incident.

"This is an unfortunate and sentimental incident and our government does not support it. The reports filed by the CID and that by the expert committee are the same. We have found prima-facie negligence on part of several doctors of the hospital and have decided to suspend 12 of them pending completion of investigation," Banerjee told reporters on Thursday at state secretariat Nabanna.

The suspended doctors included the medical superintendent and vice-principal (MSVP) of the hospital, the RMO, the departmental head, one senior resident, and six postgraduate trainee doctors.

Banerjee said that the CID would lodge an FIR against the accused doctors and continue investigation in accordance with the law.

Earlier in the day, while hearing two public interest litigations (PIL) seeking a CBI probe into the patient's death, the court directed that the matter be heard again on January 30, by which the state chief secretary and the central government will file their respective reports.

The court granted liberty to the pharmaceutical company to file their affidavits in reply.

The bench observed that it is "rather disturbing" to know 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 action was taken by the state's health department.

It noted that the department appears to have not taken immediate proactive action to suspend the usage of the drugs in question.

The court further noted that action was taken only on January 14 by the Directorate of Health Services, Central Medical Store, which issued a directive to all medical colleges and hospitals to refrain from using any drugs manufactured by the company until further orders.

The bench said that it failed to understand why it took the authority so many days to pass an order to withdraw the existing stock.

It noted that the PILs have flagged the important issue of the health and safety of the citizens of West Bengal, more particularly those who go to government hospitals for treatment.

In her address to reporters, the chief minister held the "erring doctors", responsible for the tragedy.

"Those who were on duty in Medinipur could have saved the woman. Those responsible for such negligence, who were absent despite being on duty, and allowed trainee doctors to perform cesarean surgeries - these are the people we are holding accountable. We have information that one doctor performed three more surgeries, then went to Debra and carried out more operations," Banerjee said.

"I am compassionate towards doctors, but if there is any injustice, then I do not care about the criticism. So, after seeing the two reports and taking suggestions from the chief secretary and the home secretary, we have taken this step," she added.

On alleged usage of 'expired' intravenous fluid, the CM maintained that such medicines were already removed from all hospitals.

"We keep on monitoring. Medicine stores are audited to check whether expired drugs are being used. As for the intravenous fluid we are discussing, some states are still using it. I don't know if there is any story behind it. We have already stopped using it. We will retest and then make a decision. If there is any alternative, we will consider it. This is a serious matter, and senior doctors should be involved in it," she said.

On doctors working in private medical establishments during their duty hours in state-run hospitals, Banerjee cautioned them that such practices would not be allowed.

"I will appeal to senior doctors to be on duty during their allocated eight hours. We have information that there are doctors who go to the hospital to attend duty, mark their biometrics and after staying there for two hours, go out to private hospitals to treat and operate patients and then return.