A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, led by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, on Tuesday heard two public interest litigations (PILs) concerning the controversy over the use of banned Ringer’s Lactate saline at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.
A woman died on January 10 after childbirth, and several others fell critically ill, allegedly due to receiving the banned saline. The incident sparked political outrage, with opposition questioning the use of saline from a company, named Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Limited which was blacklisted in December last year.
The court directed the West Bengal Health and Family Welfare Department and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to submit detailed reports on the issue. The division bench also instructed the state government to compensate the victim families. It also asked the central government to provide an ‘action taken report’ outlining measures taken against the saline manufacturer, Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals Limited.
The reports have to be filed within two weeks, the court instructed while hearing the two PILs, filed by senior advocate Phiroze Edulji and advocate-cum-BJP leader Koustav Bagchi. The Chief Justice-led division bench has listed the matter for the next hearing on January 30.
West Bengal’s Advocate General (AG) Kishore Datta informed the court that a 13-member expert committee has been formed to investigate the incident. Additionally, a CID probe has been launched to examine the matter further.
In response to Chief Justice Sivagnanam's inquiry, AG Datta stated that 30,000 bottles of saline were delivered in three batches to most state government-run medical facilities. Hospitals have been instructed not to use the saline.
Samples have also been sent to laboratories within the state and the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in Mumbai for testing, he added.
Senior advocate Edulji alleged in the court that several years ago, a doctor in North Bengal raised concerns about the saline, but instead of addressing the issue, the state government took action against the doctor.
