Bengal saline death case: CID Interrogates 7 doctors, 4 nurses at Midnapore Medical College Hospital

Kolkata: After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a CID investigation into the expired saline death case, senior officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recently interrogated seven doctors and four nurses who were on duty at the gynaecology department of Midnapore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) where a woman died and three others fell critically ill after childbirth, following the administration of alleged expired intravenous fluid. 

The seven doctors quizzed on Tuesday included two senior gynaecologists, the head of the gynaecology department, a Resident Medical Officer (RMO), two postgraduate trainees, and the hospital superintendent. 

This comes after a CID team led by DS (South) Krishnendu Mondal reached the Medinipur Medical College and Hospital in Paschim Medinipore district on Tuesday to probe the incident. 

Also read- Bengal saline death case: Autopsy report points to multi-organ failure, Septicemia

During the investigation, the officials spoke with the doctors and nurses who were on duty at the gynaecology department on the night of January 9 when the incident took place.    

An official in this regard told PTI, “The officers also spoke to post-graduate trainees who performed the surgeries that evening. The RMO was also asked the reason for his absence from duty."   

The CID officers also questioned the RMO on whether he had directed the junior medics on the course of treatment and the medicines administered to the patients concerned. They also spoke to the family members of the deceased as well as those who fell critically ill after childbirth, he said. 

As per a TOI news report, CID will soon cross-question the individuals involved in the case after it completes gathering evidence and information regarding what happened on the day of the incident. 

Along with the interrogation, the team asked the hospital authorities to share the duty roster and a list of medicines in stock and seized the logbook, oxytocin stocks and the batch number of RL. The CID is reportedly expected to submit its initial findings to the state government within three days.

On this, West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant told ANI, "The CID will investigate all aspects of the case. We will investigate it from all angles, as well as a departmental committee, and expert committee which is technically qualified to look into the medical side of it... Both investigations will give us an idea of ​​what happened and how we can prevent it in the future... If anyone is found guilty of procedural lapses or any lapses in treatment, action will be taken against them..."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a 21-year-old woman passed away after childbirth at MMCH. Consequently, her family raised serious concerns about the saline administered to her during treatment. This led to outrage and protests from the families of other patients as well as four more patients also fell ill due to the administration of the expired saline.

Those four patients were under treatment at the same hospital. Three of them were shifted to the State-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital in South Kolkata on Sunday night following a sharp deterioration in their medical conditions. The condition of those three women remains “very critical”, as confirmed by an official of the state’s health department.

Meanwhile, the post-mortem report of the pregnant woman who died at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital on January 10, allegedly after being administered expired Ringer's Lactate, has hinted towards multi-organ failure and septicemia as the primary reason behind her death. This finding has raised the question of whether besides saline the victim was also administered with oxytocin to keep the impact of the toxic body fluid under control. 

Already two parallel probes are being conducted 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. It is to be noted that the preliminary report filed by the committee indicated that human error and side effects of other medicines led to the death of the woman. 

Even though the state health department on Saturday directed all the state medical colleges and hospitals across the state to ban the use of 10 intravenous fluids to ensure patient safety, it also came out with a list of 14 more medicines produced by the West Bengal Pharmaceutical on Tuesday directing the same.

The incident raised serious concerns, especially as the expired RL saline allegedly came from Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical (TADAWUL:2070) Limited, a company earlier banned by the Karnataka government and later by the West Bengal government.

Following this, the state health department directed the medical superintendents-cum-vice principals of all medical colleges and hospitals and all the chief medical officers of the districts “to ensure total stoppage of the existing stock of Compound Sodium Lactate Injection (RL) supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd in his/her jurisdiction.

Two separate public interest litigations (PILs) seeking a CBI probe into the matter and demanding appropriate action against the government for its failure to trace the flow of banned harmful medical supply into state-run hospitals were filed before the division bench of Calcutta High Court. The court is set to hear the matter on January 16. 

Also read- No surgery, anaesthesia should be performed by PG medicos alone, Stop Ringer's Lactate saline usage: WB medical colleges ordered