MADURAI: An internal inquiry carried out by Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) over the incidents injection needles getting broken has ruled out the use of substandard needles, said Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) Dr P Umanath.
He said that the woman from Sirkazhi was administered injection at Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Sirkazhi by a retired village health nurse as all the nurses and the doctors were out on a medical camp.
Similarly, Umanath quoted Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) authorities as saying that the atraumatic suture needle, removed from the pelvic bone region of a woman from Uchipuli was not broken.
"The atraumatic suture needles used at government health institutions across Tamil Nadu, by design, do not have the eye portion," he pointed out.
On the Mettupalayam government hospital incident that happened on September 19 where an injection needle got stuck on an infant's thigh while being administered Hepatitis B vaccine, the director said that an internal inquiry had revealed that the injection supply was procured from Mettupalayam Urban Primary Health Centre (as supplied by the Directorate of Public Health under Universal Immunization Program) and was not supplied by TNMSC.
Umanath reiterated that in all the three cases, the question of quality of the injections or the suture needles do not arise.
"The internal inquiry report will reflect in the final report to be submitted to the State Health department," he said.
Earlier this month, the State Human Rights Commission had issued a notice to the State Health Department and TNMSC over incidents of broken injection needles in government hospitals and PHCs.
Report submitted last week
Speaking to TNIE, Deputy Director of Health Services of Ramanathapuram district Dr P Kumaragurubaran said that the report of a detailed inquiry conducted by a six-member team including himself and Joint Director of Medical Services Dr P Venkatachalam was submitted to Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr K Kolandaswamy last week.
"According to one of the staff nurses who performed the delivery on November 19 at Uchipuli Upgraded PHC, the suture needle that was first taken for use broke, and the second suture needle too broke midway during episiotomy. The suture needle that broke in the first instance was disposed, the PHC staff had revealed," he said.
In the detailed inquiry report submitted to the Director of Public Health, questions on the quality of the suture needles have been raised, said Dr Kumaragurubaran. He admitted that the PHC staff could have properly communicated the situation to the affected woman's family at Uchipuli and comforted them.
"While a standing instruction was previously given to all PHC staff on immediate referral to higher medical care centres, the issue of delayed referral on part of the PHC staff has also been pointed in the report," he stated.
Meanwhile, Kolandaswamy stated that the report on Uchipuli incident has to be studied and based on it, he would submit a report to the State Health Secretary Beela Rajesh soon.
The incidents
November 21: Two days after a 21-year-old woman had undergone episiotomy following normal delivery at an upgraded primary health centre in Uchili in Ramanathapuram, a suture needle was removed from her pelvic bone region at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
November 23: After an hour-long surgery, an injection needle was removed from the body of 54-year-old K Parvathi from Sirkazhi by the doctors at Tiruvarur Medical College Hospital. The needle was stuck in her hip for 14 days.
September 19: A needle got stuck in the thigh region of an infant while he was being administered vaccination for Hepatitis B at Mettupalayam Government Hospital.