Kolkata: For nine months, twenty-six-year-old Nasrin Khan had been experiencing a healthy and uncomplicated pregnancy. Nasrin was admitted to Midnapore Medical College, a state-run super-specialty hospital, on Wednesday (January 8) for childbirth. The doctors recommended a C-section, and Nasrin and her husband, Salim Khan, welcomed their daughter into the world.
Despite a seemingly uneventful delivery, Nasrin’s condition deteriorated rapidly after being administered a post-surgery saline solution. She is now on life support, raising serious concerns about the irregularities in the health system in West Bengal, five months after the R.G. Kar Medical College incident laid it bare.
“I was happy, but then I heard that my wife Nasrin had been given a saline solution that had made her condition worse. The condition of many other patients had also deteriorated after receiving the same saline. My wife was admitted to the ICU. Meanwhile, I heard that a woman had died after receiving the same saline. As I was listening to all this and inquiring about my wife’s condition, I realised it was very critical,” said Salim Khan, Nasrin’s husband, waiting anxiously at the S.S.K.M. Hospital in Kolkata where his wife and two other women were brought through a green channel on Sunday night.
Last week, twenty-two-year-old Mamoni Ruidas died two days after childbirth at Midnapore Medical College. The cause of death was suspected to be the administration of an “expired” and previously banned saline solution. Following the administration of this saline, 47 patients at the hospital fell ill. Six were admitted to the ICU, and two remain on life support at the time of this report.
“I lost my wife due to the government’s adulterated saline. My newborn son did not see his mother. Who will judge if the government itself gives such adulterated saline to patients?” said Debashis Ruidas, Mamoni Ruidas’s husband who works as a daily wage earner from Chandrakona in Paschim Medinipur district.
Mamoni Ruidas gave birth to a healthy boy on Wednesday who is still in the hospital. Their elder daughter is being looked after by the family members as Debashish waits for his son to recover.
“The doctors said my wife’s condition is better now. But I am terrified,” said Md Saifuddin, whose wife Minara Bibi was also brought to Kolkata.
The suspected cause of the sudden complications is Ringer’s Lactate (RL) solution, supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals. The Siliguri-based company, founded in 2014, known for supplying medicines to government hospitals across India, is under investigation for distributing potentially contaminated RL saline. This saline was banned by the West Bengal health department eight months ago due to quality concerns, but it allegedly resurfaced in government hospitals, including Midnapore Medical College.
On Sunday, Mamoni Dolui visited Suri Sadar Hospital in Birbhum for sterilisation. She started vomiting blood from her nose and mouth after the procedure. Even after being taken to the ICU, she could not be saved.
“After taking a medication, my wife started vomiting blood from her nose and mouth. She was rushed to the ICU, but unfortunately, we couldn’t save her. I suspect she might have taken a counterfeit or adulterated drug,” said Sachin Dolui, Mamoni Dolui’s husband. Sources at Suri Sadar Hospital have confirmed the recent arrival of 90,000 bottles of saline manufactured by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals.
The use of D5 saline, also manufactured by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals, at Tehatta Hospital in Nadia recently sparked protests from a patient’s relatives. The hospital subsequently replaced the saline. D5 saline is used for short-term fluid replacement therapy. It works by replenishing lost fluids, effectively treating hypovolemia caused by dehydration, injury, or burns.
These incidents highlight a broader pattern. While hospitals are currently using saline from other manufacturers, till Saturday, the government has issued no directives regarding the disposal or return of the existing stock, leaving hospital authorities uncertain about its storage and potential use.
Banned in Karnataka
In November 2024, Karnataka blacklisted the Bengal-based pharmaceuticals company after an investigation into the deaths of five pregnant women in in Bellary District Hospital was linked to the company’s saline. The investigation found the saline to be filled with low-quality fluid, prompting 27 complaints regarding its quality.
In December 2024, the Karnataka government requested an investigation by the drugs controller general of India regarding the clearance issued by the central drug laboratory (CDL), Kolkata, for the sodium lactate injection supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals to the Karnataka state medical supplies corporation limited (KSMSCL) for use in government hospitals.
Despite the ban, the company continued to supply saline to West Bengal hospitals. The state health department initiated an investigation into the deaths of several pregnant women in April and June last year, but the report remains unreleased.
The company’s factory in North Dinajpur has been closed since December 11. Sources within the company claim the owner, Kailash Mitruka, had close ties with ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and health department officials were facilitating the supply of 14 types of medicines and the saline to various government hospitals in the state.
Doctors express concern
The incidents raise serious concerns about the quality of medical supplies used in government healthcare facilities and the potential for corruption in the procurement process. On Saturday (January 11), a team of 13 doctors, led by S.D. Ashish Biswas, arrived to investigate the incident. He told the media, “It cannot be said right now. We have taken the batch number of the saline sample.”
“If this incident had happened for the first time, we might have considered it an accident. However, this issue has been ongoing for over a year, and the company has even been blacklisted by Karnataka. Despite numerous complaints within our state, the government remains unresponsive. We have seen the use of this particular saline leads to rapid kidney failure, followed by other complications that quickly deteriorate the patient’s condition,” said Dr Manas Gumta of the Association of Health Service Doctors.
In Midnapore Medical College, families of the affected patients were forced to sign indemnity bonds after their deliveries, acknowledging potential complications from saline use, including the risk of death. These bonds, containing the saline batch numbers, were likely created after patients fell ill, raising concerns about a hospital cover-up.
During the agitations after R.G. Kar Medical College incidents, many doctors from the state-run hospitals warned about substandard drug supplies leading to complications and even fatalities. On Saturday, the West Bengal health department issued a notification restricting the administration of 10 drugs in state-run hospitals.
“Not only RL, there was severe allergic reaction after NS [normal saline] as well as IV [Intravenous] antibiotics too at a stretch a few days back in my hospital. Had reported to higher authorities but was told that there’s nothing wrong in medicine but in injection procedures and keep checking on that only. Don’t know what will be the next!” a doctor working in a government hospital told The Wire on conditions of anonymity.
“Such incidents have been happening for a long time, and now it is coming to light due to the media. One of the main issues in our movement is to break this den of corruption, and we will continue to agitate in the future,” claimed Dr Asfakulla Naiya, one of the key organisers of West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum which was at the forefront of the protest after the R.G. Kar incident.
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The family and colleagues of the slain doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College had earlier alleged that she had previously made complaints to both the health department and the college principal regarding the low quality and adulteration of numerous hospital medicines.
In a statement, the Joint Doctors’ Forum criticised the state government for “inhumane treatment”. “On January 7, the government’s statement did not address what should be done with the medicines stored in the warehouse. RL is still in the warehouse. Now that the matter has come to light, these salines are being hidden. We have repeatedly drawn the government’s attention to the issue of adulterated and low-quality medicines, but have received nothing but inhumane treatment.”
Minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya told The Wire that “the government is investigating the matter and the truth will be known when the report is published.”
The Opposition reacts
On Sunday, the left organisations Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) protested in front of the Midnapore Medical College, demanding stern action against those responsible for Mamoni Ruidas’s death. Led by Minakshi Mukherjee, the DYFI’s state secretary, the protest included the symbolic locking of the hospital superintendent’s already locked office and temporary road blockades.
“Fake medicines will continue to infiltrate Bengal’s medical colleges unless the deep-rooted corruption involving the police, administration, and health department is eradicated.Why are the police unable to act against corruption? Are they being hindered by higher authorities? Now hospitals are asking patients to supply expensive medicines?” asked Mukherjee.
The state unit of the Congress party also staged demonstrations demanding the resignation of health minister Mamata Banerjee.
Translated from Bangla by Aparna Bhattacharya.
