Jaipur: The state health department has expanded its investigation into maternal deaths in Bhilwara and Banswara, with drug controller teams seizing and collecting samples of medicines used in the treatment of the women to check for possible quality lapses.Officials said the samples will be tested for spurious, substandard, contaminated or unsafe drugs. The probe will also examine procurement records, storage conditions, batch numbers and supply chains to trace the origin of medicines used in obstetric and emergency care.The move follows quality tests in Kota, where two medicines failed to meet prescribed standards. One of them, oxytocin injection, was reportedly used in the treatment of a woman who died. The other, dinoprostone gel, was stocked for pregnancy-related care but was not administered to any of the women who died, officials said.A senior official at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Bhilwara said drug control teams were collecting samples of medicines used in treating the deceased women. “These samples will be sent to laboratories to check if there is any quality issue. This is a regular exercise whenever such investigations are conducted,” the official said.Earlier, drug controller teams collected samples of medicines, consumables, and medical devices from hospitals in Kota, Bikaner, and Jodhpur. Officials said 37 samples were collected in Kota, at least 31 in Bikaner, and 25 in Jodhpur. Hospitals have also been directed not to use medicines from the seized batches until further orders.According to officials, test reports received so far show that oxytocin injection and dinoprostone gel failed quality checks. A senior health department official said oxytocin was used in cases involving maternal deaths, while dinoprostone gel was not.The dinoprostone gel samples were collected after an AIIMS Delhi team reviewed maternal deaths in May. During the inquiry, the team examined drug storage practices and found that refrigerators used to store certain medicines were not maintaining the required temperature, which could affect drug quality.Officials said samples of dinoprostone gel from the same manufacturer were also collected at PBM Hospital in Bikaner, where two maternal deaths were reported. While the Kota sample failed quality tests, the Bikaner sample met the required standards, indicating that storage conditions could have played a role.The health department is now collecting medicine samples from hospitals in Banswara and Bhilwara, where it is investigating nine maternal deaths reported over six days.
