There are suspicions that the condition of the women deteriorated after they were administered expired intravenous fluid.
The directions came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and senior officers of the Health Department. In a report, a 13-member expert committee has concluded that there was ‘serious negligence’ on the part of the staff on duty last Friday.
The government also issued directions to all hospitals to stop use of the intravenous fluid — ringer lactate saline — and other medicines that were administered to the women till their sample reports arrive.
Soon after the CM convened the meeting, Chief Secretary Pant addressed the media, saying, “The CID has been given directions to investigate the matter from all angles. They will conduct a detailed investigation. Corrective measures will be taken so that such an incident is not repeated in future.”
“The preliminary inquiry by the expert committee found that there was serious negligence on the part of those on duty at the hospital unit. We have ordered a detailed investigation into the matter. Such operations are performed in the presence of senior doctors. But only junior doctors were present there. It is not according to standard operating procedure and guidelines. A through investigation will help find who were responsible for the lapse.”
“The Chief Minister today held a meeting with senior Health Department officers and looked into the entire matter. She has given clear directions that such negligence and procedural lapses will not be tolerated. Once the report of the detailed investigation comes a strict action will be taken against those responsible,” informed Pant.
The three women who remain critical following their delivery at the Midnapore hospital have been shifted to Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital where a five-member medical team has been constituted to treat them. The team comprises specialist doctors from the departments of nephrology, obstetrics, anesthesiology, and internal medicine.
According to sources, two of the women — Mampi Singh (23) and Nasrin Khatun (19) — are on ventilation support. While Mampi is admitted to the critical care unit (CCU), Nasrin is in the intensive trauma unit (ITU). The third woman, Minara Bibi, is in the critical care unit (CCU).
SSKM Medical College and Hospital Director Manimoy Banerjee told mediapersons , “The three are critical. The medical board formed for the purpose is treating them. They will hold a review meeting again.”
A meeting was also held by the 13-member expert committee with the Health Secretary and other officers of the Health Department. The committee has taken into its possession the CCTV footage of that day and will scrutinise it, sources said.