Expired Saline Death Case: Junior doctors of Midnapore Medical College urge DME to revoke suspension of 7 PG Trainess

Kolkata: Vehemently opposing the suspension of seven postgraduate trainees at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in the expired intravenous fluid case where a new mother died and four others fell critically ill following childbirth, the junior doctors have written a detailed letter to the Director of Medical Education (DME) urging a thorough investigation and revocation of the suspension order issued by the state government last week. 

Describing the government's move as "unwarranted" and "unjust," the junior doctors of MMCH claimed in their letter that the trainees followed National Medical Commission (NMC) protocols under senior faculty supervision. Therefore, they suggest no wrongdoing had taken place on the part of these trainees behind the death of the woman in the case. 

In the letter, the junior doctors highlighted that the affected patients were administered Ringer Lactate IV fluid manufactured by Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical, a company previously banned in Karnataka for similar incidents. They alleged that the death of the patient was due to the septic shock as mentioned in the postmortem report and not due to surgical complications.

Also read- 12 doctors, PG Trainees suspended for Negligence in Woman's Death at Bengal Hospital

Medical Dialogues a few days ago reported that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the suspension of 12 doctors including the medical superintendent and vice-principal (MSVP) along with six postgraduate trainee doctors at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital in connection with the case. Even though the state announced the suspension of six junior doctors, seven received the notice. 

The suspended doctors include the hospital's medical superintendent and vice-principal (MSVP), the RMO, the head of the department, one senior resident, and seven postgraduate trainee doctors.

The 7 PG trainees include Dr Bhagyashree Kundu, Dr Moumita Mondal, Dr Susanta Mandal, Dr Jagriti Ghosh, Dr Puja Saha, Dr Sweta Singh, and Dr Manish Kumar.

The action was taken after a woman died and four others were critical after delivery of babies at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital allegedly due to the administration of 'expired' intravenous fluid, prompting the health department to constitute a 13-member committee to investigate the matter.

While the committee's preliminary investigation report indicated that human error and side effects of other medicines led to the death of the woman, the post-mortem report of the deceased woman revealed multi-organ failure and septicemia as the primary reason behind her death. 

The junior doctors have claimed that the PG trainees became the government's scapegoat despite these findings. They believe that the government after suspending the PG trainees tried to shift the focus from the adverse drug reactions and corruption within the healthcare system to the alleged negligence on the part of the doctors. 

In the recent letter to the DME, as Indian Express reports, the junior doctor stated, “We, the undersigned junior doctors of Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, write to you with a profound sense of urgency and outrage regarding the unwarranted suspension of seven postgraduate trainees: Dr. Bhagyashree Kundu, Dr. Moumita Mondal, Dr. Susanta Mandal, Dr. Jagriti Ghosh, Dr. Puja Saha, Dr. Sweta Singh, and Dr. Manish Kumar. These trainees, who have diligently upheld the standards of medical ethics and the guidelines laid down by the National Medical Commission (NMC), now find themselves victims of a baseless and unjustified punitive action."

Further, the letter reads, “The post-mortem report unequivocally attributes the cause of death to septic shock, with no evidence of surgical complications. It is pertinent to highlight that all affected patients were administered Ringer Lactate IV fluid sourced from Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical, a company banned by the Karnataka government in December 2024 due to analogous incidents. 

Despite this critical information, the Director of Medical Education, Bengal, has unjustly accused the PGTs of gross negligence, disregarding their adherence to NMC guidelines and the oversight provided by senior faculty. This unwarranted action has left the trainees mentally and professionally devastated, tarnishing their careers and reputations…We respectfully but firmly demand your immediate intervention to probe it thoroughly."

Already two parallel probes were conducted previously in the matter, the first by a committee formed by the state health department and the second by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant revealed that both the reports submitted by the CID and the 13-member expert committee found total negligence on the part of doctors that led to the mishap.

"The procedure of treatment was not followed properly. Two operations were performed simultaneously. On-duty doctors did not go to see patients. They did not perform a single surgery personally and when called inside the OT, the RMO went inside once. On bed tickets, patient parties were asked to give a declaration written in Bengali that there may be a probable adverse reaction. None of the protocols was followed. CCTV cameras are not present there. Senior doctors whose presence were mandatory were absent. So, it proved to be a case of negligence," he said in a previous press conference.

As per an Indian Express news report, On January 8-9, the aforementioned trainees performed their duties in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics under the guidance of senior faculty members. During this time, five female patients experienced suspected anaphylactic reactions and multi-organ failure after undergoing cesarean sections.

On condition of anonymity, a junior doctor told The Daily, "The government is targeting us to break their morale and divert attention from other issues. This sets a dangerous precedent, undermining the morale of medical professionals. We demand a thorough investigation and the reversal of the suspensions."

On January 17, Junior doctors at MMCH launched a partial cease-work in protest against the suspension of six of their fellow colleagues. However, they soon called off their protest with several departments returning to normal operations. 

Also read- Midnapore Hospital Junior Doctors Begin Cease Work to Protest Colleagues' Suspension