Central team in Jaipur to probe ‘illegal’ clinical trial
THE CASE Complaints against a hospital for using clinical trial drugs on labourers JAIPUR:A
four-member team from the Drug Controller General of India arrived in Jaipur from Delhi on Sunday to probe complaints of an ‘illegal’ clinical trial on a group of villagers from Churu district by luring them with money.
The state government had ordered a probe into the matter.
The team went to Malpani Hospital, on the outskirts of Jaipur, where the alleged clinical trials were conducted on a group of 17 labourers from Bidasar village of Churu.
The team refused to say anything to the media on Sunday. One of the team members said that investigation is on and it will take time.
The labourers were brought to Malpani Hospital on the pretext of working as volunteers on a daily wage of ₹500 but were allegedly given an osteoarthritis drug for trial. The hospital has denied any wrongdoing.
Dr RC Meena, orthopaedic surgeon from Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, who was there as an expert member, gave a clean chit to Malpani Hospital and said that the clinical trial is going on according to norms.
“Three persons aged between 40 and 70 years are undergoing clinical trials. He said that the group of people who had come for the clinical trial was not eligible as they were aged between 18 and 45 years, so the hospital refused to conduct any trial on them.”
Some of those upset labourers also filed a police complaint in Bidasar against the hospital though no FIR has been lodged so far. “Some villagers came to the police station on Saturday afternoon and verbally told us that they were given certain medicines after which they started feeling dizzy. They then went to the community health centre from there and went home. They did not give any written complaint, so no FIR has been lodged,” said Bhagirath Singh, head constable at Bidasar police station.
Meanwhile, state health minister Kalicharan Saraf ordered a probe on Friday after which additional chief secretary Veenu Gupta formed a four-member team to investigate the claims. The team visited Malpani Hospital on Saturday and checked records and drugs.
The team was told that 38 packets of the clinical trial drug had been received but the team found only 35 at the hospital. The hospital was unable to give a satisfactory reply about the missing packets.
The incident came to light on Friday when the victims came before the media and alleged that the doctors at the hospital had given them some tablet without their consent.
Vimal Toshniwal, a social activist from Bidasar, said the hospital was conducting clinical trials on the group without their knowledge.
He said when doctors at the hospital gave medicine to the group, four left the Malpani Hospital to return to the village with-
out taking the medicines and they then informed Toshniwal.
Toshniwal told mediapersons that the group was brought on Wednesday and put up at the Malpani Hospital. They were given tablets on Thursday post lunch, after which they complained of a headache, drowsiness, pain in limbs and nausea.
Dr NK Malpani, director of Malpani Hospital, said “We have approval and authorisation for everything and there is nothing illegal. We are conducting clinical trials for humanity. Yes, we pay money, to the patients undergoing clinical trial according to norms and we do it by informing them and with their consent.”