Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the suspension of Drugs Controller Dr. Umesh S and the prosecution of Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals, a West Bengal-based pharma company, following the deaths of four pregnant women in Ballari. The women, who died during cesarean surgeries in November, are suspected to have been administered substandard Ringer’s lactate, a solution commonly used during such operations. Siddaramaiah, in a meeting with Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and other officials, announced that the government would compensate the families of the deceased with Rs 2 lakh each.
The Chief Minister revealed that this particular batch of Ringer’s lactate, supplied by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals, was responsible for the deaths. The company will be blacklisted, and legal actions will be taken against it. Additionally, the company will be required to compensate the victims’ families. Siddaramaiah also announced a departmental inquiry against the managing director of the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd and issued a warning to the Ballari district surgeon. A preliminary inquiry has cleared the doctors who performed the surgeries.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao emphasized that Ringer’s lactate, used to replace fluids and electrolytes in patients, was found to be substandard in recent tests. Despite an earlier court stay, the company appealed, but further investigations led to the suspension of the drugs controller for failing to act on quality concerns. A committee, led by Additional Chief Secretary Uma Mahadevan, will investigate similar cases across the state.
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