BALLARI: Karnataka’s Ballari district hospital, where four new mothers had died post-delivery within nearly a month, reported a fifth death on Thursday. All the women had undergone caesarean section at govt-run facility.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah had ordered suspension of the drug controller and criminal proceedings were initiated against Pashchim Banga Pharmaceutical for allegedly supplying substandard ringer lactate solution, an IV fluid, to the hospital.
The latest victim, Sumaya, was admitted to the hospital on Nov 11. She underwent a caesarean section the same day. After the delivery her condition deteriorated and she was moved to Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) the next day, where she was in intensive care for 24 days. But her renal condition remained critical and following a multi-organ failure she passed away around 8pm, said the institute’s director Gangadharagouda.
At the cabinet meeting on Thursday, Siddaramaiah instructed health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to issue a detailed report. He also urged the department to take enough precautionary measures to avoid any such recurrence.
Meanwhile, opposition BJP registered a formal complaint with Lokayukta, demanding the immediate resignation of the health minister, attributing the deaths to negligence by the state government.