MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to inform it of the action taken against hospital staff and others in connection with a woman's death in 2014 after allegedly some antibiotics were administered to her.
The woman, admitted in the civic-run K B Bhabha hospital died, and 27 others took ill after allegedly some antibiotics were administered to them.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Bharati Dangre also directed the state and municipal authorities to file an affidavit listing down the steps taken against the concerned supplier of the drugs to the hospital.
The bench was hearing a PIL seeking appropriate directions to the MCGM and state government following the said incident which occurred on August 18, 2014 at the Bhabha hospital in Kurla.
As per the plea, 28 women including the victim, were undergoing treatment for flu, typhoid, and such common ailments at the hospital when they suffered an allergic reaction after they were administered some antibiotics.
The women were immediately shifted to other hospitals.
While the others recovered eventually, 47-year-old Saira Shaikh lost her life.
During the hearing conducted earlier this week, the petitioner, activist Ketan Tirodkar, contended that the hospital authorities had failed to take any action against the supplier and that the same supplier continued to provide the drugs to the hospital even now.
MCGM's counsel S U Kamdar, however, submitted that immediately after the incident, the civic body had constituted a committee to probe the incident.
"The probe report had revealed that the reaction wasn't due to wrong drugs, or the anti-biotics administered to the women.
It occurred due to the pace at which the injections were administered.
The women were all administered some injections.
"The due procedure required that those be administered at a gap of some seconds but the inquiry revealed that the injections might have been administered at a very fast pace," Kamdar said.
The bench, however, noted that even if that was the case, there had been a clear breach of the standard operating procedure by the doctors and medical staff attending to the women.
"There is a prima facie breach in the case.
The due process was not followed either in administering the injections, or, in procurement of the drugs," the bench said.
"So, tell us what action has been taken against the doctors as well as others concerned with the incident," the bench said.
It also directed all concerned parties to submit a compilation of their previous replies, action taken reports etc.within the next two weeks.