Rajasthan health department to probe death of 13 pregnant women

Jodhpur, Feb.25 (ANI): Rajasthan's medical and health department has launched a probe into the deaths of atleast 13 pregnant women after they were allegedly administered contaminated Intravenous (IV) fluid.

A senior officer of the department said that a medical team consisting of a microbiologist and a gynecologist from Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur has been sent to Jodhpur for further investigation.

At least 13 pregnant women have died and four are in serious condition and had to be put on ventilators, after being allegedly administered with contaminated IV fluid.

The incident occurred in the government run Umaid hospital in the city over the last 10 days.

Several locals and family members of the deceased took to the streets shouting slogans and protesting against the administration.

According to police authorities, the IV fluid tested positive of bacterial infection.

"It is suspected that intravenous (IV) fluid was the reason for the deaths and when the fluid was tested at a laboratory at a local level, bacterial infection was found in it. A case has been registered by the Superintendent of Umaid Hospital and an enquiry has been ordered," said Jodhpur police commissioner Bhupinder Kumar.

He also said that several teams had been formed to seize the infected IV fluid from the hospitals across the city.

The Jodhpur police have booked the IV fluid manufacturing company Parental Surgical India Pvt Ltd (Indore), and the local distributor Anshul Pharma under IPC Section 328 (putting a person's life under threat) and seized unused bottles of the fluid.

Police said as many as 5,000 bottles of the suspected batch of IV fluid were supplied to three government hospitals at Jodhpur. However the number of bottles used is still to be assessed. (ANI)