The West Bengal government identified “serious negligence” and violation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) by doctors as the preliminary reasons behind a young mother’s death and the serious illness of four more post-childbirth women at a state-run medical college and hospital in Midnapore district four days ago.
Chief secretary Manoj Pant said senior doctors should have been present during the deliveries but the task was left entirely to trainee doctors.
“Accountability at all levels will be fixed once the inquiry by a 13-member team, appointed by the state health department,” said Pant.
Bengal government ordered a CID probe into the incident.
Mamoni Ruidas died at the Midnapore hospital and one of the four, who fell critically ill, has improved while the other three were shifted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on Sunday. Two of them are still on ventilator support.
Pant said samples from the batch of Ringer’s Lactate (RL) intravenous solution administered to these five women, suspected reasons for the deterioration in their health, had been sent for analysis.
Sources in the health department said the administration of RL may have a little role in the mishap. “There seem to be some procedural faults in the administration of the Oxytocin injection to these patients,” said a health department’s officer.
Oxytocin injection is generally used to improve contractions during labour pain besides reducing bleeding after childbirth.
“Prima facie, there is serious negligence on the part of the doctors’ unit that was on duty. What happens is that this is done by senior doctors. Here it was handled by trainee doctors which is why we believe that the standard operating procedure and guidelines have been violated. After a detailed investigation, strict action will be taken against those found guilty,” said Pant.
The chief secretary pointed out that earlier the health department had instructed that trainees have to work under the supervision of senior doctors. “A proper duty roster should be maintained. Prima facie, a violation of this too has been found,” he said.
BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari put the onus on chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who holds the health portfolio, and health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam.
“The fault lies with them as the saline was centrally purchased purchased by the state health department. Besides, the Karnataka government’s warning in December last year, the state government failed to take action. Now the government is trying to hold the junior and trainee doctors responsible for the incident. It is because these junior and trainee doctors organised the mass movement across the state after the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital,” said Adhikari.
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