New Delhi: The BJP leaders will file a complaint at Lokayukta office in Bengaluru on Friday, seeking investigation into mysterious deaths of lactating women at Ballari district hospital (BIMS). Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and MLA CK Ramamurthy will lodge the complaint.
Another woman died at the Karnataka government-run Ballari hospital on December 5, taking the total number of maternal deaths in the past month to five. It has come to light that after delivery, the lactating mothers were given IV solutions. Within two hours of being administered the solutions, the victims had fallen ill.
Karnataka govt writes to DCGI
Earlier, Commissioner of Food Safety K Srinivas was appointed as the administrative head of the State Drugs Control Department following the maternal deaths. Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department, Karnataka, Harsh Gupta wrote to the Drugs Controller General (India), Directorate General of Health Services pointing out “four maternal deaths in Ballari district hospital between November 9 and 11, wherein it has been noticed that the ‘Compound Sodium Lactate Injection I P (Ringer’s Lactate I P)’ batches supplied by the respective manufacturer had just been used.” He urged to investigate the quality of the respective drug supplied and take prompt action against the manufacturer and other parties involved.
‘Ready to resign’: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao
As the public outcry mounted, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said, “If my resignation serves purpose, I am ready for it. If it is my fault, I am ready to resign.” He added, “Action is being taken against the pharmaceutical company and compensation has been announced for the family of the deceased.”
Gundu Rao directed drug control officials to register a case against a West Bengal-based firm after 22 batches of IV solutions were found to be of substandard quality. The firm in question is the company whose Ringer’s Lactate solution was allegedly found to have led to the maternal deaths at the Ballari district hospital in November.
On Wednesday, during a meeting at Vikasa Soudha, officials revealed that the State Drug Control department had detected 22 batches of IV solution from the company that failed to meet several safety parameters. But, the firm has approached the Central Drugs Laboratory to challenge the report on 13 batches, and the laboratory has confirmed that four of the batches are of good quality.
The minister also voiced concerns over the discrepancies in the reporting of the quality of several batches of the solutions between the Centre and State departments. He called for a thorough investigation into these inconsistencies and ensure the timely testing of all drugs.
