Union Health Minister JP Nadda maintained a terse silence on the controversy surrounding the US pharma major Johnson and Johnson’s faulty hip implants that have allegedly crippled, by conservative estimates, nearly a hundred Indian patients.

When asked about the findings of the expert committee, which looked into patient complaints, and if J&J will be brought to book, Nadda said, “We are deliberating upon the committee findings.”

For close to six months now the Health Ministry is sitting over the expert committee report. When asked why the crucial and critical report of the committee was not made available in the public domain, Nadda said: “We share your concerns, however we are still deliberating upon the matter.”

He did not comment further on the issue.

Expert committee

One of the victims, Mumbai-based Vijay Vojhala, had deposed before the committee at the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) office in New Delhi, last year. Vojhala underwent a total hip-replacement surgery with J&J’s ASR implant on July 17, 2008. It has been ten years since the faulty hip implant and it has leaked chromium and cobalt in my body. Since then my health complications have not stopped, Vojhala told Businessline. It was Vojhala’s FIR in Mahim police station in Mumbai and repeated e-mails to the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and National Human Rights Commission, which led to the Health Ministry forming the expert committee to investigate the matter.

“What is shocking is, the seemingly damning report has not been shared with me or any of the other patients who deposed before the committee. Why such lack of transparency, when the matter pertains to us?” Vojhala asked.

RTI requests

The committee has recommended a compensation of ₹20 lakh for every patient affected by the faulty transplant, but Nadda has chosen not to respond on how they will enforce the penalty on J&J in the case.

The issue has been highlighted time and again since 2011, especially after Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Adminstration recommended a CBI probe in the matter.

Mahesh Zagade, former FDA Commissioner of Maharashtra said, “patients hailed from all over India, and hence I wrote to the then Chief Secretary for a CBI probe.”

Vojhala said that he has filed multiple RTI requests with the Department of Home Affairs in Maharashtra asking for information regarding the delay in filing of chargesheet, and the outcome of preliminary police investigations, but had received no reply.

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