Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Thursday suspended 12 doctors of Midnapore Medical College Hospital. A woman and a newborn died after delivery due to allegedly giving ‘expired’ intravenous fluid (IV fluid). While four others fell ill. Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government will give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a government job to the family of the deceased woman.
These doctors were punished
Mamata Banerjee said that we have found negligence of many doctors and have decided to suspend 12 of them. She said that the suspended doctors include the Medical Superintendent and Vice-Principal (MSVP) of the hospital, RMO, department head, a senior resident and six postgraduate trainee doctors. Those who were on duty in Medinapore could have saved the woman. Those responsible for such negligence were absent despite being on duty.
CID will register a case
Banerjee said that the CID will register an FIR against the doctors and will continue the investigation. He asked why there were no CCTV cameras outside the operation theatres in government hospitals.
He directed Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Health Secretary NS Nigam to immediately install CCTV cameras outside the OTs in all hospitals.
The High Court gave this instruction to the Chief Secretary
At the same time, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to file a comprehensive report on the facts related to the death of a woman in Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. A bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya also directed the appropriate authority of the Central Government to file a report about the action taken against the pharmaceutical company supplying the related medicines.
Hearing two PILs seeking a CBI inquiry into the woman’s death, the court directed that the case would be heard again on January 30, when the Chief Secretary of West Bengal and the Central Government would file their respective reports. The court allowed the pharmaceutical company to file an affidavit in response. The bench said it would consider what further directions need to be issued after the report and affidavit are filed.