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A pregnant woman died allegedly after being administered with "expired" saline at Medinipur Medical College.
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari made this allegation on Saturday. He also said that four other pregnant women are admitted to Critical Care Unit (CCU) for the same reason. "One pregnant lady died after child birth and four other pregnant women are admitted in Critical Care Unit (CCU) & Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Medinipur Medical College after becoming "critically ill" when administered with "expired" saline," Suvendu Adhikari said in a post on X. He said that the tragic incident rekindles the memories of a similar tragedy in Karnataka last year, where four maternal deaths were linked to the use of the same "defective" Ringer's Lactated (RL) saline supplied by a firm called "Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical Ltd". "Karnataka Chief Minister then directed officials to blacklist Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical Ltd. which supplied substandard ringer lactate solution (an intravenous (IV) fluid that Doctors commonly use to restore hydration and fluid balance in the body) to Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL). A criminal case had also been filed against the said company," Adhikari said. "Following Karnataka's letter to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to investigate the standard quality (SQ) certification issued by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kolkata, to Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Ltd., which allegedly supplied substandard compound sodium lactate injection I.P. (Ringer's lactate solution) to Karnataka, the company was directed to stop operations 'till rectification of deficiencies'," he added. Adhikari said that soon after, the West Bengal Health Department banned the use of saline linked to the said firm. Following an order from the Drugs Control Authority, West Bengal's primary supplier of 14 essential medical items; Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical, was instructed to halt manufacturing until further notice, he said. "This information was to be updated in the Store Management Information System of the WB Health Department. Yet, the unfortunate tragedy happened and pregnant women belonging to poor families who rely on State Healthcare have suffered grossly," Adhikari added. The LoP in West Bengal further alleged citing sources, that the Directors of the Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical Ltd. have hundreds of bogus companies registered in their names. He also demanded a proper investigation into the matter by the Drugs Controller General of India and Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. "Sources tell me that the Directors of the Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical Ltd. have hundreds of bogus companies registered in their names. Despite such serious sanctions on their firm they have been allowed to supply substandard medicines to the State run Healthcare facilities in West Bengal," he said. He added, "A proper investigation should be launched by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (@CDSCO_INDIA_INF) to find out if this firm flourished by flouting any norms and if its nexus with the ruling party of WB has helped them gain access to the State run facilities." (ANI)
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