“We are very concerned about maternal death,” says Presanna Kumari, President of the Kerala Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology who have joined the legal challenge against the government’s ban on private companies making and marketing Oxytocin.

The Kerala Federation has been monitoring maternal deaths since 2004, Kumari told BusinessLine and Post Partum Haemorrhage (PPH) or excessive bleeding at birth was a major cause for maternal death. Oxytocin is a critical drug use to manage the condition.

KFOG has sought to implead itself with the Public Interest Litigation filed by the All-India Drug Action Network in the Delhi High Court against the government’s ban on private makers of Oxytocin. The restriction on private producers comes into effect on September 1 and this could create a shortage of the drug at hospitals, doctors caution.

There is an existing challenge from US drugmaker Mylan against the government’s notification and the cases are expected to come up for hearing this Friday.

Along with the ban on private producers, the government also appointed public sector unit Karnataka Antibiotic & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL) to make the product.

With 26 million deliveries in the country, Kumari said, the concern is whether one company will be able to make the medicine available across the country, especially in rural areas. Besides, for the drug to be effective it also needs to be stored correctly, she said, adding that in terms of effectiveness and pricing of the drug, the present market players have been serving the purpose.

Dependence concerns

Even as Kerala begins to deal with the aftermath of unprecedented rains and floods it had witnessed over the last several days, she pointed out that it was not safe to depend on one company for a critical drug. “What happens if there is a flood in Karnataka?,” she asks, raising a concern that doctors and healthcare advocacy groups across the country have been highlighting.

The government restricted the production and marketing of Oxytocin to prevent its misuse in cattle and poultry, besides its abuse in young girls where social workers had sounded an alarm regarding its use to induce puberty. The Centre has already restricted the veterinary use of Oxytocin a couple of years ago.

Kumari agrees that the abuse needed to be controlled through greater surveillance. “We want correct use of the drug and not shortages,” she said.

In addition to monitoring maternal deaths, KFOG has come out with guidelines and trained its doctors across the State, she said. Maternal mortality in Kerala stands at 46 deaths in one lakh live births, lower than the national average of about 130, she said, adding, “Our aim is that every preventable maternal death should be prevented.”

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