Spurious saline in Orissa govt hospital

Cuttack, Feb 18 (PTI) Detection of contaminatedsaline in a government hospital here has sent shockwaves amongthe patients and their attendants.

The infected saline bottle within its stipulatedexpiry deadline was detected yesterday just before it was tobe administered on a seriously ill patient.

������� The incident was reported from the City Hospitalhere when a relative of the patient brought the contaminatedbottle to the notice of the hospital authorities.

Additional district medical officer Madhuri Behera,however, said that the saline bottles are supplied bycompanies having government approval.

����������We had not administered the saline on the patientand hospital staff would certainly have checked the content ofthe bottle before using it�, the ADMO said.

Manufactured in November 2009, the saline bottlewas to expire in October 2012.

��������Five patients, including two newborns, had died afteradministration of spurious saline in SCB medical college andhospital in 2000.

��������When deaths of the patients were brought to the noticeof Orissa High Court through a PIL seeking CBI probe intoalleged nexus between drug manufacturers and governmentofficials, a HC bench in 2006 had remarked that: �Orissa hasbecome a dumping ground of fake and spurious medicines�.

������ Instead of CBI enquiry, the High Court had ordered thethen Vigilance director Gopal Nanda to conduct a thoroughprobe.

Nanda in his report to the High Court had said thatsaline bottles were procured for government hospitals from asmany as 25 companies which do not have valid license toproduce drugs.