Expired drug reveals deep systemic negligence at MY Hospital:Procurement faults, stock lapses and ward negligence exposed; officials escape accountability again

A day after a 27-year-old patient at the state’s biggest government run medical facility Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) was found to have been administered an expired antibiotic, the incident has triggered deeper concerns about institutional negligence across the hospital’s medicine procurement, storage and distribution system. The lapse, initially blamed on a duty nurse, has now exposed a chain of overlooked responsibilities extending from purchase officials to ward-level staff. Committee formed, accountability missing In a familiar pattern, the MY Hospital and MGM Medical College administration have responded by forming a probe committee. Hospital insiders claim this step has done little beyond shifting attention away from the growing stock of near-expiry and expired medicines lying in wards and storage units. Families of patients say this mirrors earlier negligence cases, where committees were formed but action against responsible officials rarely followed. Negligence at every level 1. Procurement oversight The hospital sources its medicines through the MPPHCL. Nodal officer of the central store, assistant superintendent Dr Mahesh Khachariya, is responsible for all purchases. The expired antibiotic vial administered to the patient points to gaps at this very first stage of the supply chain. 2. Stock entry and record keeping All medicine entries including batch numbers, expiry dates, company details and quantity, are digitally logged in the central stock register. The presence of expired vials in active circulation raises concerns about how these entries were being monitored. 3. Store supervision and alerts ignored Store in-charge and nursing officer Reena Sharma oversees medicine stocking and movement. Both the nodal officer and store in-charge have automatically generated lists of near-expiry and expired medicines, yet no recall was initiated and no warning issued to ward staff. 4. Pharmacy and nursing chain breaks down Pharmacists are responsible for dispensing correct medicines, while nursing officers collect them and take them to respective wards. If expired vials reached Ward 21, it indicates a double failure: 5. Duty nurse’s final check missing The last line of defence also failed. The duty nurse did not check the expiry date of Cipro, the antibiotic administered to the patient, a basic protocol in every tertiary-care setup. 6. Administrative oversight fails Hospital superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav receives periodic reports of near-expiry and expired medicines and is responsible for ensuring safe disposal. The presence of expired vials in wards suggests supervision failures at the highest administrative level. However, he tried to shrug off the responsibility and claims to take action after investigation. We have taken note of the complaint and begun an inquiry. The medicine batch is being checked and statements from the duty staff are being recorded. No patient was given any expired drug as the vial was removed immediately after the expiry was noticed. MGM Medical College accused of selective action The follow-up controversy has also reignited debate over inconsistent disciplinary action within MGM Medical College. Earlier, Super Speciality Hospital Superintendent Dr. Sumit Shukla was removed after expired medicines were found in the disposal stock of SSH. However, the college administration, led by Dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, has remained silent in two recent MY Hospital lapses: Staff members allege that MY Hospital enjoys administrative protection despite repeated failures, while other units face swift penalties. Vijayvargiya vows actions Cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said strict action must be taken against the responsible officials, adding that he will direct the Collector to act immediately, calling the incident totally unacceptable.​​​​ What happens next The inquiry committee is expected to begin recording statements this week, but families and staff remain skeptical. With expired medicines detected at multiple points in the supply chain, the incident has become more than an individual error but it is now seen as a system-wide failure demanding direct accountability.