Expired Hepatitis B vaccines: HRC slams Gandhi Hospital, orders Rs 1.25 lakh in damages to 6 victims

The six complainants to get compensation are AN Adilakshmi, S Devamani, T Satish, P Mallikarjun, T Ravi, G Dhanunjay. The complaints were from the years 2014 and 2015.

The HRC order stated that the incident constitutes a severe violation of the victims’ fundamental right to health and dignity, exposing systemic failures within the healthcare institution.

In its comprehensive order, the HRC has mandated substantial reparations and corrective actions:

Compensation for victims: Each complainant is to receive Rs 1,25,000 as compensation from the Government of Telangana.

Accountability measures: The commission has called for decisive action against all responsible officials, including the superintendent of Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad, emphasising the need for administrative and supervisory accountability.

Systemic reforms in medicine management: To prevent future occurrences, the HRC has directed the implementation of rigorous measures in medicine procurement and administration.

This includes ensuring hospitals do not receive medicines with short expiry dates and preventing the delivery of expired medicines. Additionally, medicine suppliers are now required to conspicuously print expiry dates on all vaccine wrappers.

Strict implementation timeline: All recommendations outlined in the order must be fully implemented within two months from the date of receipt of the common order.

Patients administered with expired Hepatitis-B vaccines suffered severe side effects

The case came to light after complaints, notably six out of 16 in HRC No. 3464 of 2014, detailing the administration of expired Hepatitis-B vaccines by Dr V Tara Devi, a research fellow at ART/COE, Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad.

The complainants reported a range of severe side effects, including mental tension, giddiness, drowsiness, stomach pain and body pains, asserting that the act was both negligent and wilful.

Despite an earlier report from the superintendent of Gandhi Hospital in September 2014, which suggested the incident was an oversight and not intentional negligence by Dr Tara, the commission found this report unsatisfactory.

The doctor was suspended

The HRC underscored that administering expired vaccines represents a grave medical lapse with potentially long-term health consequences, directly contradicting medical ethics.

While Dr Tara was subsequently suspended, the commission clarified that this suspension alone does not absolve the broader liability of the authorities or the institution in ensuring adequate compensation and preventing such incidents.

Irregularities in the medicine supply

The HRC also incorporated findings from HRC No. 4350 of 2015, a suo motu cognisance initiated following a newspaper report on irregularities in medicine supply at Gandhi Hospital, which further informed their decision.

With the issuance of this order, the Human Rights Commission has declared that further proceedings in both cases are now closed, contingent upon the complete implementation of its recommendations.