The Suvarna Karnataka Chemists and Distributors Association (SKCDA) has called upon the state’s administration to retract the suspension of the Karnataka drugs controller, Dr. Umesh S. This suspension was declared by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on November 30, who also insisted on the prosecution of a West Bengal pharmaceutical company. This firm had distributed ‘substandard’ Ringer’s lactate, suspected to be responsible for the death of four expectant mothers at the Ballari Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, formerly known as Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS).
In a letter addressed to the Karnataka Chief Minister, health and family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, and principal secretary of the state health department, Ashokswamy Heroor, chairman of SKCDA’s legal cell, stated, “We implore the government to reconsider the suspension of Dr. Umesh, the State Drug Controller. He should not be held responsible for the deaths at Bellari Hospital, as this action is unwarranted.”
It is rather the chief administrative officer of the Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) rank who is accountable for procuring medicines for the Ballari Medical College Hospital. Additionally, the laboratory for testing state drugs is located in Ballari itself. Should there have been any doubts regarding drug quality, it was the duty of the Ballari Medical College Hospital’s chief to notify the laboratory to conduct quality assessments, Heroor asserted.
Drug enforcement personnel regularly obtain medicine samples during inspections across different regions. These samples are dispatched for quality checks to any of the three state drug control laboratories situated in Bengaluru, Hubballi, and Ballari, according to the SKCDA legal head.
Heroor further emphasized in his correspondence that governmental hospitals procure medicinal supplies through tenders and selects pharma companies offering the lowest price. Hence, the drugs controller does not participate in this process. Instead, the Ballari hospital’s drug procurement division, particularly the in-house pharmacy, should be held responsible for ensuring proper storage and distribution of the IV fluid.
In a media discourse held on November 30, Karnataka’s health and family welfare minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao, noted, “Since April 2024, 2,600 Caesarean operations were executed at the Ballari Medical College Hospital without any deaths. Suddenly, with this new batch of Ringer’s lactate, we lamentably encountered four fatalities, which raises suspicion.”
Heroor reiterated from a media interaction, “The government’s suspicion arose as early as February-March. Out of 92 batches subject to testing, 22 batches were deemed substandard. Despite blacklisting the company, a court-ordered stay allowed continuity. The company contested our assessments, and a Kolkata central lab cleared the samples. Yet, their use was avoided.”
Given these facts, it’s apparent that the Karnataka drugs controller was not implicated. The administration should hold accountable only those overseeing operations at Ballari Medical College Hospital. It is improper to suggest the suspension of the state drugs controller, hence we urgently request its retraction, Heroor concluded.