BENGALURU: Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday demanded a thorough investigation by judges of the High Court into a series of deaths of women in government hospitals in Karnataka.
“In the progressive state of Karnataka, 327 women have died in hospitals this year. This shocking information has been provided by Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao himself and has left me appalled,” Kumaraswamy said.
The former Chief Minister questioned if the State Government had not noticed the issue of substandard medicine supply and was Dinesh Gundurao unaware of it.
He said that the government health system in the state is in complete disarray.
“Hospitals have become death traps. Women are dying owing to substandard glucose and medicines. It is disturbing to hear that nine women fell critically ill within just two hours of receiving a Ringer’s Lactate IV infusion at Ballari Hospital. So, who supplied this infusion? Which company was responsible for it?” he questioned.
Kumaraswamy said that while substandard glucose and medicines have been supplied for days, what has the government been doing and why did the Health Minister ignore such a sensitive issue? He said that Dinesh Gundurao’s statement that he will resign if he is at fault, is unacceptable.
“Taking responsibility does not mean escaping from it. What is needed is proper treatment for the ailing health department. Atonement is more important than evading responsibility. It is the minister’s duty to fix the department,” he said.