After 14 days,13 deaths,Gehlot acts: One held,minor officials take the rap

Last night,Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suspended two minor officials and blacklisted Parenteral and drug supplier Anshul Pharma. He also visited Umaid Hospital where the deaths took place and announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation to families of the victims.

However,it may be hardly enough for relatives shell-shocked at the turn of events that transformed what should have been a joyous occasion into mass mourning.

Apart from the one arrest,the only officials to face action are the low-rung Jodhpur drugs inspector Dinesh Taneja and MG Hospital storekeeper Kusum Acharya. Jodhpur District Collector Navin Mahajan said Taneja had not conducted regular inspection of medicines stored at Umaid Hospital and the other big government hospital in the city,MG,where many of the women were shifted after their condition deteriorated.

Explaining why Acharya faced action,Mahajan said: “We found that Anshul Pharma was supplying drugs from a company that was not on the approved list of drug manufacturers. It was Acharya’s duty to mention this to hospital authorities.” 

Mohammed Arif,whose wife Ruksana succumbed to excessive bleeding on February 18 after delivering her first child,questions the government’s response. “My wife was admitted on February 10 and died eight days later.

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After 14 days,13 deaths,Gehlot acts: 1 held,minor officials take the rap

Between that time,six women died,and now they have blamed the IV fluids. How many deaths does it take for them to realise something is wrong?”

Between that time,six women died,and now they have blamed the IV fluids. How many deaths does it take for them to realise something is wrong?”

The sequence of events:

Feb 13: Three women die at Umaid Hospital from excessive bleeding following Caesarean sections. The number is above average,but hospital authorities blame pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Feb 14,15: Two more women die. First fears of a problem.

Feb 16: Following a sixth victim,S N Medical College principal controller Dr R K Aseri chairs a meeting of top doctors. “The numbers were too high so we decided to check everything,” said Aseri.  

Feb 17: One death. Samples of medicines administered to the patients sent for analysis,but notices issued to all department heads and doctors come to the conclusion that the cause of deaths could be complicated deliveries (read natural causes).

Feb 18: No deaths. But close to midnight,another woman’s condition worsens.

Feb 19: The first sample analysis reports inconclusive. Umaid Hospital Superintendent Dr N G Chaggani stated,“The only common factor between all patients was IV fluids. So we sent the samples for further tests.”

Feb 20: Health Minister Aimaduddin Ahmad visits Umaid Hospital but gives it a clean chit.

Feb 21: Three more women succumb to excessive bleeding.

Feb 22: Samples sent for testing show signs of bacterial contamination. The hospital informs the drug control organisation,which sends an alert across the state.  

Feb 25: Rajasthan Police raid the premises of the drug company in Indore.

Feb 26: 13th woman dies,three more in serious condition.