Harish vows action on botched FP operations

HYDERABAD: Health minister T. Harish Rao said on Thursday that he had received the inquiry report over the deaths of four women and hospitalisation of many others due to botched family planning surgeries in a government hospital in Ibrahimpatnam.

The surgeries were carried out on August 25, and following the deaths and hospitalisation, the government had promised a fully transparent investigation into the incident and had said it would release the inquiry report in a week. However, it has not revealed the findings of the report until now.

On Thursday, the minister, while on a visit to MNJ Cancer Hospital to review pending works and construction of a new building, said he had received the report and action would be taken on those responsible in two to three days.

The government has constituted a committee headed by director of public health and family welfare Dr G. Srinivasa Rao to conduct the inquiry and prepare the report.

On Wednesday, Deccan Chronicle had reported that the inquiry committee had “identified” hospital-induced staphylococcus infection as the reason for the deaths because none of those involved in the surgery that day - hospital employees and an outsourced surgeon - had followed basic sterilisation procedures.

At MNJ Hospital, he said construction of the new building would begin on October 15 and it will accommodate 300 beds more.