HYDERABAD: A day after government officials red-flagged usage of injection—Bupivacaine Hydrochloride, an anesthetic, during deliveries, officials on Sunday said the government hospitals had to procure alternate medicine to be used during deliveries. However, Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy said they would act on the alert, if it was issued by Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMIDC).
Express reported that joint director of Maternal Health and Nutrition Dr S Padmaja sent an e-mail to Director of Medical Education commissioner of Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, Director of Public Health and other officials asking them to immediately stop using the drug as it has caused severe adverse effects in mothers during Lower Segment Cesarean Section.
Officials stressed that no maternal deaths were reported after the drug was administered and the alter was issued only as a cautionary measure to avoid any kind of tragedy. “Complications were reported in two women after the drug was administered,” an official from the Health department said. As per procedure, TSMIDC supplies medicines to government hospitals. However, in such situations, hospitals procure alternate medicines not waiting for TSMIDC to supply.
As on Sunday, officials said the drug has to be put under tests and inquiry has to be conducted to know if the adverse reactions are caused because of the medicine or if there is some other reason to it. It is learnt that TSMIDC too has communicated the alert to heads of Health departments asking them to stop using the drug. Meanwhile, Members of the Indian Medical Association-Telangana, who attended the Mahapanchayat held in New Delhi on Sunday against The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill,2017, have said here that a call was given to MBBS students of all medical colleges to boycott academic classes from April 2. Around 200 doctors and medicine students from Telangana attended the programme.
TGDA members threaten strike if orders regarding in-service are not revoked
Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) members have threatened to go on strike if the state does not revoke recent orders according to which, in-service candidates would now get marks weightage that would be added to the overall score in the NEET-PG as the government has done away with the existing system of 30% seats reserved for them in PG courses.