Calcutta HC to Hear Two PILs Regarding Expired Saline Death Case on January 16
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Kolkata, Jan 13 (NationPress) Two distinct public interest litigations (PILs) were submitted to a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday concerning the demise of a pregnant woman at Medinipur Medical College and Hospital in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, allegedly due to being administered expired Ringer’s Lactated (RL) saline.
The division bench, comprising Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, has accepted both petitions.
The initial hearing for the PILs is set for January 16. Notably, one of the petitions has been filed by senior advocate Phiroze Edulji from the Calcutta High Court.
Edulji's petition claims that the same organization responsible for previous fatalities in Karnataka, which led to its blacklisting by the state government, provided these expired salines in West Bengal, resulting in a recent death.
Thus, Edulji asserts that there is an urgent need for public interest litigation on this issue.
Recently, five pregnant women were critically admitted to Medinipur Medical College and Hospital after allegedly receiving expired saline. One of them, Mamoni Ruidas (25), succumbed on Friday, while the remaining four continued treatment at the same facility. Following a sharp decline in their health, three of them were transferred to S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital in South Kolkata on Sunday night.
This incident has raised significant concerns, particularly since the expired RL saline reportedly came from Paschal Bang Pharmaceutical Limited, a company previously banned by both the Karnataka and West Bengal governments.
The state's health department has instituted a 13-member inquiry committee to look into how expired saline was administered to patients.
The inquiry committee is expected to present its findings on Monday, which will subsequently be reviewed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
This incident has reignited worries regarding similar occurrences within the state’s healthcare system. In a related case of financial misconduct at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, former principal Sandip Ghosh faced allegations of promoting the use of expired and ineffective medications for personal profit.
