Bengal Hospital Doctors End Protest After CM's Pledge
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Synopsis
Following the Chief Minister's assurance, doctors at a West Bengal hospital have ended their partial cease-work related to the suspension of 12 colleagues. This action came after tragic incidents involving expired medication and subsequent investigations.
Key Takeaways
- The partial cease-work at the Midnapore hospital was lifted after CM Mamata Banerjee's intervention.
- 12 doctors were suspended following the death of a woman and her newborn allegedly due to expired Ringer’s Lactate.
- A clinical committee is investigating the adverse effects of the expired medication.
- Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals is under scrutiny amid public outrage.
- The CID is conducting a parallel investigation into the matter.
Kolkata, Jan 22 (NationPress) The ongoing partial cease-work at a state-run medical college and hospital in Midnapore, located in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, has been concluded as of Wednesday morning. This action followed the suspension of 12 doctors, comprising six senior and six junior staff members, due to the tragic deaths of a woman and her newborn baby, which allegedly occurred after they were given expired Ringer’s Lactate earlier this month.
Sources within the hospital indicated that the partial cease-work, which had impacted the regular operations of the emergency and outpatient departments, was lifted following a message from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In her communication, she urged the protesting doctors to end the strike and assured them of potential revocation of their suspensions.
The suspended doctors included the medical superintendent-cum-vice principal (MSVP) and the resident medical officer (RMO) of the facility.
Earlier this month, five women became ill at the hospital, reportedly after receiving expired Ringer’s Lactate. Tragically, Mamoni Ruidas, one of the affected women, and subsequently, the newborn of Rekha Shaw, another individual from the group, lost their lives.
As public outrage surged over allegations regarding the administration of expired Ringer’s Lactate, which was supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, Chief Minister Banerjee held a press conference where she attributed the incidents to the negligence of the attending doctors. She announced the suspension of the 12 medical professionals while simultaneously giving a near-pass to the pharmaceutical company, suggesting that had the drug been faulty, similar incidents would have been reported in other state-run hospitals.
On that occasion, she also revealed that a joint investigation would be conducted by the CID of West Bengal Police, in addition to an ongoing inquiry by a team of clinical experts from the state health department.
Recently, a team of clinical experts submitted findings that did not rule out the possibility of adverse reactions from injecting essential liquids such as Ringer’s Lactate and oxytocin, which may have contributed to the unfortunate events. The committee has referred the affected batch of Ringer’s Lactate and oxytocin for more detailed clinical analysis, and sources mentioned that they recommended avoiding the use of any clinical liquids from this batch until further results are available.
