BHUBANESWAR, JULY 14: Investigations into the tragic death of three pregnant women at Cuttack's Sriram Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College and Hospital a few days ago have got a new twist, with the viscera analysis reportedly indicating that the deaths had not occurred owing to contamination of transfusion fluids.According to sources, the viscera analysis report of the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) reportedly says that the women could have died of something else. Now the state government is waiting for a chemical report on the death of the three women from the Calcutta-based Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL).Police investigation is also zeroing in on dereliction of duty by the hospital staff. ``We have gathered strong evidence with regard to the negligence of doctors and nurses, and charges will be framed against the guilty even if the chemical report gives a clean chit to the hospital staff,'' a top police official stressed.A team of senior police officials interrogating the hospital staff has reportedly found that the doctors and other para-medical staff had not attended on the patients on time and there was considerable delay in giving appropriate treatment. Six doctors, including house surgeons and post-graduate students, and a dozen nurses have been questioned.The other aspects being looked into right now are whether the doctors and nurses ensured that the intravenous fluid did not contain any hazy or suspended material before administering it and whether the administration of fluids was properly monitored.After the death of the women - Rosy Bibi, Mamata Behera and Bhanumati Das - in the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Ward of the hospital on July 2, it was initially suspected that they had died due to contaminated transfusion fluids.The CDL is expected to submit its chemical report by July 22. It has returned the fluid bottles used in the case of the three women and eight unused bottles of the same batch number have been despatched by the police to the CDL.The Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), who is a member of the Purchase Committee of the Government for procurement of drugs and fluids for hospitals, would be interrogated after the chemical report is received.
