Health Minister Gundurao visited the Ballari district hospital and families of deceased women. He assured a compensation from the government and also spoke to former health minister B Sriramulu, who was on hunger protest. The protest was called off after meeting the minister.
Published Dec 08, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 08, 2024 | 7:00 AM
Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao visited the family of Sumaya who passed away after c-section delivery at Ballari District Hospital recently. The minister offered condolences to the grieved families and also assured compensation from the government. (supplied)
The Karnataka Lokayukta made a surprise inspection at the Ballari District Hospital and VIMS hospital on Saturday, 7 December, following the deaths of five women suspected to be caused by substandard Ringer’s Lactate IV solutions.
Led by SP Siddharaju C of the Lokayukta police, over 25 officers inspected the maternity wards, ICUs, and medicine storage units to gather evidence, marking the beginning of a comprehensive investigation.
This action came after Lokayukta Justice BS Patil issued a suo-motu order on Friday, 6 December, directing a case be filed against senior officials across the health sector, including the Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, the Drug Controller, and the Karnataka State Medical Supply Corporation.
The inspection was aimed at uncovering lapses in drug quality and supply chains that may have led to these preventable deaths.
Lokayukta ordered an investigation, and its directive called for:
Lokayukta officials inspect the Ballari district hospital after a series of maternal deaths was reported.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao visited the families of two women who died and offered his condolences on Saturday.
The minister visited the homes of Sumaiya Banu (23) from Azad Nagar, Kudligi constituency, who passed away on 5 December, and Mahalakshmi (20) from Chandrashekarapura village, who died on 27 November.
Assuring the families of government compensation, he promised to raise the matter in the upcoming assembly session.
Meanwhile, former health minister B Sriramulu and former MLA G Somashekar Reddy held a hunger strike near the district hospital, demanding accountability for the deaths.
Health Minsiter Dinesh Gundu Rao speaking to women, recovering after they developed complications post C-section deliveries.
Sriramulu said that he was not demanding the minister’s resignation but said the health system must improve.
“Many maternal deaths in the state are due to poor quality medical supplies. An independent judicial probe is needed and ₹25 lakh must be paid as compensation to the families of the deceased women,” the former minister said.
Meanwhile, the BJP Mahila Morcha, led by state President C Manjula, visited the hospital on Saturday, demanding compensation of ₹25 lakh for each victim’s family and government support for the affected newborns.
The health minister said that the government has sought detailed reports on 327 maternal deaths across the state.
Responding to the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the government has suspended the drug controller. He further stated that further action would be initiated once the probe committee, constituted by the government, submits its report. He was speaking to the media at Naripura in Chamarajanagar district on Saturday.
“The matter has been discussed in the cabinet, and the pharmaceutical company responsible for supplying substandard drugs has been blacklisted,” he added.
“We are taking strong action and will continue to do so,” he said, promising further measures based on the findings of the inquiry committee.
It may be noted that the series of maternal deaths occurred between 9 November and 5 December 2024 with five women dying shortly after cesarean deliveries. Despite medical intervention and transfers to advanced care, the patients did not survive, raising serious questions about the quality of administered Ringer Lactate’s IV fluid.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
