Health condition of the 30 more women who underwent Double Puncture Laparoscopy (DPL) at the Government Civil Hospital at Ibrahimpatnam is stable. They are kept under medical observation at various hospitals. DPL is a family planning surgery for women.
Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao said that they are likely to be discharged in the next couple of days.
Barring a few, most of the 30 women were detected with infection. Health Minister T Harish Rao, who has checked on them at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, on Wednesday said that the infection has come down.
Preliminary finding
A DPL camp was held at the Civil Hospital where 34 women were operated on August 25. Out of them, four women have died, including two on Tuesday. The women who died complained of gastroenteritis.
When asked about cause of the deaths, citing preliminary findings, Mr Harish Rao said on Wednesday that infection was the cause, and that a final conclusion would be arrived at based on Post Mortem Examination (PME report), and the report to be submitted by the DPH.
Special medical teams have visited homes of the remaining 30 women and admitted them in hospitals as a precautionary measure. Senior officials from the Health Department headed the task.
While 17 were admitted at NIMS, 13 were admitted at Apollo Hospital. The 30 women were in non-ICU wards, and condition of none of them is serious. Their attendants were provided with ₹10,000 each.
The Health Minister said that their health is being monitored every hour, round-the-clock. Tele-conferences were held with doctors and heads of the hospitals. The government is bearing the medical expenses, he said.
A committee headed by the DPH Dr Srinivasa Rao is conducting an inquiry into the cause of the deaths. Whether equipment used in the surgery was sterilised, and other aspects are being looked into. The inquiry and PME reports are awaited.
As a precautionary measure, superintendent of the Civil Hospital in Ibrahimpatnam was placed under suspension. Dr Srinivasa earlier said that license of the doctor who performed the surgeries was temporarily cancelled by the Telangana Medical Council.
Explaining reasons for taking the action, the senior Health official said that it is not to point fingers and say that they are at fault, but to ensure a free and fair inquiry.
