Calcutta High Court Orders Compensation for Families Affected by Expired Saline Incident
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Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court has ordered the West Bengal government to compensate the families of victims affected by expired Ringer’s Lactate. Tragically, one woman and a child have died due to this incident, prompting legal actions and administrative changes.
Key Takeaways
- Calcutta High Court mandates compensation for victims' families.
- Expired Ringer’s Lactate led to serious health complications.
- Investigation called for involvement of CBI and DCGI.
- State health department takes action against responsible officials.
- Immediate cessation of using the expired saline ordered.
Kolkata, Jan 16 (NationPress) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court has instructed the West Bengal government to provide compensation to the families of all victims who fell ill, including one woman and a child who tragically lost their lives, after allegedly receiving expired Ringer’s Lactate at a state-run medical college and hospital last week.
The deceased included Mamoni Ruidas, who passed away on January 10, and the latest victim was the newborn child of Rekha Shaw, who also became ill after being allegedly administered the expired Ringer’s Lactate. Three other women are currently receiving medical care.
This matter was brought to the court’s attention through two public interest litigations (PILs) earlier this week.
In response to the PILs, the division bench, comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hirnamay Bhattacharya, not only mandated the state government to compensate the victims' families but also required the administration to present an action report to the court within two weeks.
The report should include comprehensive details from Chief Secretary Manoj Pant regarding actions taken against the entity supplying expired Ringer’s Lactate, Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, which was previously blacklisted by both the Karnataka and West Bengal governments.
In connection with this “expired” saline incident, the state health department has already terminated Chaitali Chakraborty, the former special secretary to the state health department (medicine department), and appointed Suvan Das as her replacement.
On Wednesday, Suvendu Adhikari, the opposition leader in the West Bengal Assembly, called for the involvement of central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in the ongoing investigation led by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police along with a state health department team.
The state health department initially instructed all medical superintendents and chief medical officers to ensure the immediate cessation of the use of Compound Sodium Lactate Injection (RL) supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd in their respective jurisdictions. Subsequently, the state government ordered the removal of all medicines supplied by the company from healthcare facilities across the state.
