Hospital told to file report on ‘contaminated’ injections

State Health dept inquiry rules out use of expired medicine

The State Health Department has sought a report from Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTB) Hospital in connection with 20 patients developing blurred vision and pain after allegedly being administered contaminated injections. Eight of them had to be operated upon.

Eyesight not restored

Some of the patients, who were discharged and are on medication, alleged their eyesight hadn’t been completely restored and they were still facing problems.

One of the vials of Avastin, the medicine administered to the patients, is suspected to have been contaminated.

The hospital authorities has sent a sample of the medicine and the injections for testing.

“We have sought a report from GTB Hospital. Preliminary inquiry has revealed that the drug hadn’t expired. We are yet to receive the laboratory report,” a senior health department official said. This, even as a woman who was affected by the injection died purportedly of a cardiac arrest.

One patient dead

Her family said the medicines she was taking for heart-related ailments had to be stopped as she was put on different medication when she developed blurred vision.

“She died of a cardiac arrest on April 7 after her condition deteriorated,” said a relative.

Atul Kumar, the Chief of the Dr. R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS, said Avastin was an anti-growth factor drug used to prevent irreversible blindness in people suffering from diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy and age-related muscular degeneration.

“Avastin is classified as a sight-saving drug and is used all over the world. In this case, the patients were probably given contaminated injections as they had developed blurred vision accompanied with mild pain.”

8 operated upon

“Eight of them had to be operated upon to remove the infectious part of the vitreous humour, while the vision of the rest improved after treatment,” Dr. Kumar added.

The hospital has constituted a committee to look into the incident. The National Human Rights Commission has also issued a notice to the Delhi Chief Secretary seeking a report in the matter within four weeks.