Jodhpur: Police in this Rajasthan city swung into action after the death of at least 12 pregnant women from allegedly contaminated IV fluids and seized samples of the particular batch from several shops, officials said on Friday.
Over the past 10 days, at least 12 pregnant women have died of excessive bleeding at the government-run Ummaid Hospital here after they were allegedly administered contaminated IV fluids of a particular batch manufactured by a Madhya Pradesh-based company. Four others are on ventilators in critical condition.
"A team is also being rushed to the company's office in Indore after an FIR was registered on the complaint of Ummaid Hospital superintendent Narendra Changani on Thursday," a police official said.
The first information report (FIR) was registered last evening under the Indian Penal Code's Section 328 (putting a person's life under threat) against IV fluid manufacturer Parental Surgical India Pvt Ltd (Indore) and the local distributor Anshul Pharma.
"Prima facie it has come up that around 5,000 bottles of a particular batch of IV fluids were distributed to three government hospitals and some shops in Jodhpur. In order to seize them, we are raiding shops here and have so far been able to seize most of the bottles of this batch," police official said.
Following police action, medical store owners have threatened to go on a strike alleging that hospital registered the FIR without completing the investigation.
Changani had lodged the complaint with the police after microbiological examination of IV fluids suggested presence of some bacteria. A medical team consisting of a microbiologist and a gynaecologist from the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur had been sent to Jodhpur for further investigation.
IANS
First Published: Friday, February 25, 2011, 13:08