RAHUL DEMANDS INVESTIGATION INTO STERILISATION DEATHS
RAIPUR: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi criticised the Chhattisgarh government for its ‘lack of accountability’ on its ‘failure’ to properly organise the sterilisation camps that resulted in the death of 13 women while 30 others still remained critical. Gandhi also went to two hospitals — CIMS and Apollo — and met the ailing women.
RAIPUR: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi criticised the Chhattisgarh government for its ‘lack of accountability’ on its ‘failure’ to properly organise the sterilisation camps that resulted in the death of 13 women while 30 others still remained critical.
“The mass sterilisation camp reveals not just negligence but also the role of corruption and spurious medicines. The state health minister must own the responsibility. There must be a thorough probe of what happened here”, Gandhi said after he visited the families of the victims in Amsena village, Bilaspur.
Gandhi also went to two hospitals — CIMS and Apollo — and met the ailing women. “It is painful to find mothers and several families had to suffer owing to spurious medicines”, he said.
Earlier, the state government sacked two doctors, suspended two health officials and constituted a one-member judicial commission to probe the incidents.
The state unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA) took out a rally in Raipur to protest against the arrest of a surgeon. They said the IMA was not against his dismissal but the arrest was in violation to the Supreme Court’s guidelines which stated that the medical board’s opinion had to be taken before arresting a doctor.
The IMA also called for a day- long closure of all government and private hospitals including medical stores except the emergency services.
The state government has banned six drugs and sent its sample to Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata for test and analysis. The state authorities conducted state-wide raids and seized 44 lakh similar tablets manufactured by Mahawar Pharma.