KOLKATA: Bengal govt on Thursday effected the largest number of single-episode suspensions in the health department and ordered a CID probe against all the 12 suspended Midnapore Medical College and Hospital doctors to establish “criminal negligence” in the death of a 32-year-old woman 12 hours after she gave birth to a son.
The action came exactly eight days after Mamoni Ruidas’s death at the MMCH last Wednesday, when five new mothers’ health deteriorated rapidly after Caesarean deliveries.
Saif Ali Khan Health Update
Ruidas was unable to survive the septic shock and three others had to be shifted to SSKM for intensive critical care. The MMCH vice-principal, the gynaecology head and four senior doctors are among the dozen suspended for dereliction of duty.
CM Mamata Banerjee described the death as “shocking, unacceptable, avoidable” and added that victim’s kin had every reason to “question us (the administration)”. She also announced a job for one person in the bereaved family and a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Cops registered an FIR at Kotwali PS late on Thursday.
Banerjee also referred to the preliminary probe that established that one senior doctor, who was supposed to be at the hospital operating theatre, was working at a private nursing home.
Banerjee said, “Those who were negligent, those who left C-sections to trainees must be booked. One doctor handled three cases at a private facility (that day). Names have been found on the registers at (private facilities in) Debra and Balichak. I am sympathetic to doctors. But I must also consider people’s well-being when there is wrongdoing. These families have every right to point fingers at the medical system and must be heard if they have something to say.”
Her statement came after chief secretary Manoj Pant shared the preliminary findings of the 13-member probe panel and the CID. “It is evident that negligence occurred. Two OTs were used simultaneously. The RMO and the on-call doctor did not attend to patients and did not perform the surgeries. When called to the OT, only one surgeon (Soumen Das) attended to a patient. The surgery was conducted by the first assistant with the second assistant’s help. Anaesthesia was not administered by a senior doctor; it was given by a PG trainee and proper procedure was not followed. A ‘probable adverse medical reaction’ declaration was taken, written in Bengali. Daily sterilisation was not followed and the OT gown procedure was ignored,” Pant said.
The CM also spoke about controversy over use of Ringer’s lactate (RL) batches that could have aggravated health condition of the new moms. “We get it tested if any incident occurs. But this batch had been tested. Anyway, we have stopped using all RL batches. The same saline was used elsewhere as well. Why did not anything happen there?” she asked, adding that there was “negligence here”. “How many times did the department head visit (the ward)? Don’t you think action was due? We have not hidden anything,” she said.
“People will ask what we have done after seeing all this,” the CM said, urging all senior doctors to put in at least eight hours at hospitals.
“Those in responsible positions, senior doctors, are requested to put in eight hours’ duty. We get information that they stay for two hours and leave for private practice. Do that later, why during these eight hours? I appeal to you. Senior doctors are very good, I am sure they will comply,” Banerjee said, questioning why CCTV cameras were not allowed at the entrance to OTs.
“Doctors watch recordings of surgeries. I believe CCTV cameras should be inside OTs so that we can verify cases of negligence. We need a policy…: who is in the OT and how long are they inside?” Banerjee said, asking health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam to instal CCTVs at OT entrances. “People who object can work elsewhere. We can’t lose lives for your (doctors’) mistakes,” the CM said. “Nothing is more important than life. Service — timely and proper treatment — is the greatest duty. I can’t perform C-sections, nor can bureaucrats.”