Navi Mumbai: A 50-year-old patient who was reportedly administered expired IV fluid at Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) hospital, Vashi, three days back, has been shifted to a private hospital as he turned critical.The patient, Gopiram Khadse, is now on ventilator support at Fortis Hospital, Vashi. An inquiry has been announced into the expired vial, said NMMC officials who, however, believe his condition has worsened due to a dual infection of dengue and falciparum malaria.NMMC’s health committee chairperson Dr Jayaji Nath said any complications due to the expired IV fluid would have shown within 30 minutes. “We hence cannot rule out that Khadse became critical due to his ailment as his blood test report has confirmed postive dengue and falciparum malaria,’’ said Nath, adding that the patient also has diabetes and hypertension.Nath added that the NMMC inquiry would look at the role of doctors, nursing staff and medical store staff as they were supposed to check the expiry date.However, the patient’s son Ajay Khadse, who held a protest along with Bajrang Dal activists inside NMMC’s medical superintendent Ravindra Mhatre’s office, believes the expired IV is the cause for his father’s worsening health. “We expect that my father is given proper medical treatment in the ICU at Fortis Hospital and he recovers,’’ he said, demanding action against the “negligent” medical staff at NMMC Hospital.
