BHU Hospital Death: Use of Industrial-Grade Gas to Administer Anesthesia

NEW DELHI:
A probe into the High number of deaths in the surgery ward at Sir Sunderlal Hospital at Banaras Hindu University in early June revealed an industrial-grade gas was used to administer anesthesia. Industrial-grade gas is not permitted in medicine.
It was found that between June 6 and 8, at least 14 surgery patients died at the hospital, prompting the Allahabad high court to order a probe. A joint investigation team of the Centre and UP government was constituted for the purpose.
During the deaths, doctors had suspected that an injection used in anaesthesia – which was bought from outside the hospital – had caused serious harm to the patients, while some had alleged issues with the operation theatres.
The July 18 probe report of the UP Food Safety and Drug Administration stated: “It has been found that nitrous oxide of non-pharmacopoeial grade was being used at this hospital. This gas doesn’t come under the category of allowed drugs.” Officials stated that whether the use of the gas – supplied by an Allahabad-based private firm Parerhat Industrial Enterprises – had caused the deaths is still under investigation.
An RTI reply by K. G. Gupta, assistant drug inspector of Allahabad – which is part of the probe report – states that the firm “has neither licence to produce medical nitrogen oxide nor oxygen.”
The probe report also states that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Ghaziabad, and a BHU fact-finding committee had endorsed the findings.