Congress and Left parties have protested outside the hospital after a 31-year-old woman died at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) due to claims of medical malpractice. Her family claims that the woman’s usage of “expired” saline was the reason behind her death on January 9, 2025, a day after giving birth. Furthermore, it has been claimed that three additional ladies who received the same saline have experienced difficulties and are currently in serious condition.
The hospital was accused of neglect by the woman’s relatives, who filed a complaint with the Kotwali Police Station. They contended that since the woman had already passed away, it was too late to make any enquiries. On social media, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari expressed worry as well, asserting that the usage of expired saline was directly responsible for the woman’s death and the other patients’ serious circumstances. He added that even though the West Bengal Health Department has prohibited the use of medical products purchased from Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical Ltd., including Ringer’s Lactated (RL) saline, the problem had not been adequately resolved. Adhikari claimed that the terrible result was caused by either the authorities’ inaction or the fact that the pertinent modifications were not recorded in the state’s Store Management Information System.
As local objections grew, a 13-person State Health Department team came to MMCH to look into the event. Many of the demonstrators, who were primarily members of the Congress and Left parties, held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Health Department accountable for the tragedy and called for responsibility from the state government. Concerns regarding the security and caliber of state-run healthcare facilities are further heightened by the occurrence, which comes months after the well-publicized case of the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The state health department was chastised by Manas Gumta, a member of the Joint Platform of Doctors, for using saline from a business that the Karnataka government had banned the year before. He demanded accountability for the deaths and questioned the state’s role in permitting the use of such products in its hospitals.
The importance of resolving the situation and guaranteeing patient safety was underscored by the State Health Department’s directions to inspect the present supply of RL saline supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals in state-run institutions.
SOURCE :
THE HINDU
