Bellary, 6 December (IANS). The sixth case of maternal death after delivery has come to light in Karnataka’s Bellary district. State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Friday that 327 maternal deaths have been reported in the state this year.
Speaking to the media on Friday after the death of another woman after delivery in Bellary district, Minister Rao said that instructions have been given to investigate all the cases. There should be no tolerance in such cases. Strict legal action needs to be initiated. Pharmaceutical companies are taking refuge in the law. The law has failed to punish those found guilty.
Minister Rao said that he is ready to resign if everything goes well with his resignation. He stressed that the government has taken the issue of women dying after childbirth very seriously.
He said that the government needs cooperation from the opposition in this matter. This matter is related to people’s lives. In such cases the culprits should be punished. If everything goes well with my resignation, I am ready to resign from my post. There is no threat to my reputation in this matter. If I have made a mistake, I am ready to resign.
“A total of nine women in Bellary fell ill after delivery. The fifth woman was undergoing treatment and also died. She was also given the same IV fluid and we are initiating action against the company,” the minister said. Doctors have said that the sixth deceased woman, Sumaya, was suffering from other health complications and was recovering.”
On Thursday, he again suffered complications and died, Minister Rao said.
He reiterated that BJP should file a complaint with Lokayukta. If the matter is resolved by my resignation, I am ready. In such cases the culprits should be punished.
Pressure is increasing on the Karnataka Congress government after another woman died after delivery in Bellary district. The death toll of mothers undergoing cesarean delivery has reached six.
Expressing grief over the incident, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday said that people should not tolerate such incidents and should protest against it. He assured that the government has already announced compensation for the victims. We will review the report to ensure no further deaths occur.
He also expressed concern about the pharmaceutical company involved in this, saying that the role of the company supplying the medicine is under suspicion.
Highlighting systemic issues, he said officials in charge of medical supplies and procurement are often transferred within four to six months. Honest and competent officers should be appointed to these roles.
The government has initiated action by suspending the state drug controller and prosecuting the West Bengal-based company responsible for supplying the IV fluid. A notice has been issued to the managing director of the company and its premises and plants have been inspected. The use of all products supplied by the company has been stopped.
The minister said that there appears to be a discrepancy in the reports related to IV fluids. The state laboratory declared the IV fluid unsafe, while the Central Drugs Laboratory deemed it safe. We have written to the Drug Controller of India regarding the credibility of these reports and requested legal action.
Sumaya was admitted to the hospital on November 10 and after surgery on November 12, she was given IV fluids, following which she developed kidney problems and eventually multiple organ failure. After this he was undergoing dialysis, but he died on 5 December.
Before Sumaya, Rozamma, Nandini, Muskaan, Mahalakshmi and Lalitamma had also died due to post-natal complications in Bellary district. These incidents have caused widespread concern and outrage across the state.
–IANS
PSK/AKJ
