The Bombay high court on Monday issued a notice to the Maharashtra government on a public interest litigation. The litigation has sought a probe by the Crime Investigating Department (CID) into an alleged antibiotic drug scam that endangered the lives of patients in civic hospitals last month.
A division bench of justices PV Hardas and Anuja Prabhudessai issued the notice while hearing the PIL filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, highlighting the severe reaction of the drug suffered by patients. This has resulted in the death of one person.
On August 18, patients suffered adverse drug reactions after two antibiotics were administered intravenously by doctors at a civic-run hospital, the PIL filed by activist Tirodkar claimed. Patients complained of chills and abdominal pain after being injected with the antibiotics.
Of the 45 patients in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) hospital in Ghatkopar, 28 patients suffered severe reactions. Among them one Saira Shaikh died within 24 hours of the reaction. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials seized Saira's records from the hospital.
About a fortnight before the Ghatkopar incident, 18 children in a civic-run hospital in Bhiwandi had a similar experience. FDA officials visited the hospital and seized seven samples of the drug administered to them, the PIL alleged.
The PIL said that the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has formed a panel to investigate the reason behind the 28 patients being taken ill.
The inquiry panel would probe whether the drugs were stored improperly or the syringes used were contaminated. The probe would also look into the quality of drugs and injection water as well as the method of administration of injections.
As exposed by the Lentin Commission Report way back in 1986, the drug cartel in the pharmaceutical sector has been running a parallel administration in nexus with FDA officials and politicians, the petition alleged.
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