Four months after allegedly being administered contaminated saline in the West Bengal government-run Midnapore Medical College, 20-year-old Nasrin Khatun – a new mother – died on Sunday night.
According to her family, her condition had remained critical since the saline administration. She was on dialysis, her heart was failing, and two days before her death, she began experiencing seizures during dialysis. She never regained consciousness and was placed on a ventilator.
The incident dates back to January 2025, when a 31-year-old woman who had delivered a baby on January 8 died the next day at the state-run hospital. Her family alleged that her death was caused by the use of “expired” saline. Three other women, including Nasrin, developed complications after receiving the same saline. The affected women were transferred to SSKM Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on January 12.
“She had been battling for her life after that poisonous saline was given to her,” said Sheikh Zayed, Nasrin’s maternal uncle, to The Indian Express. “For the last two days, she was on ventilation. We were told that her organs had started to fail.”
Nasrin’s mother-in-law, Fateha Bibi, told reporters, “Ten days ago, she was shifted to a general bed and doctors said she was to return home, but then during dialysis she suddenly started having fits, after which she did not regain consciousness. Her kidneys were not working, neither was her heart. We have lost everything. The child will never know what a mother’s care is like. My son’s life is over… We are worried for him as he is also unwell.”
Silence has descended over Keshpur village, where Nasrin lived.