A family has alleged that an expired antibiotic vial was attached to an intravenous line of a patient admitted to Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore. Hospital authorities have initiated an internal inquiry and begun cross-checking pharmacy and ward stocks after the family recorded and shared images and a video showing the labelled vial.
The complaint came from the husband of the patient, who said his wife, a 27-year-old former national kabaddi player, was admitted to Ward 21 on November 12 with complications related to ascitic fluid. He reported that the vial attached to the IV line was Cipro, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and that its printed expiry date was August 2025. He photographed the vial and later confronted ward staff. The family said they believed expired doses may have been used on other patients as well.
Hospital officials acknowledged the complaint and said they removed the vial as soon as staff noticed the expiry. The hospital superintendent said an internal investigation has begun, that staff statements and medicine batch records are being checked, and that pharmacy and ward stocks are under review. The hospital said it expects to circulate a preliminary report within two to three days. The patient remains under observation.
Health and drug-safety experts say that expiry dates matter because a medicine’s potency, chemical stability and, for some formulations, sterility can decline after the stated shelf life. For injectable medicines, loss of sterility or chemical degradation can increase the risk of treatment failure or infection. Hospitals must keep accurate stock records, follow first-expiry first-out practice and dispose of expired medicines according to regulatory rules to protect patients.
The incident at MYH follows other reports from Madhya Pradesh earlier in 2025 in which families alleged expired intravenous solutions or other medicines were administered. In one case at a district hospital in Panna, an expired Ringer Lactate intravenous bottle was reportedly used for an 11-year-old child; local officials there said an investigation would follow. Those earlier reports prompted local health officials to state that lapses of this kind would be treated as serious negligence.
Investigations into alleged expired-drug administration generally focus on three core questions: which batch and expiry dates were involved, whether other patients received the same batch, and whether the hospital followed required inventory and disposal procedures. If investigations confirm that expired medicines were used, regulatory authorities can order disciplinary or legal action and require corrective steps such as staff training, improved stock management and disposal of affected batches.
At present the MYH inquiry is internal and ongoing. Hospital officials said they have removed the item identified by the family and are verifying pharmacy records and purchase and disposal logs. The family has shared video and photographs that have circulated on social media and local channels.
Check the label and expiry date of any medication or IV fluid before acceptance when practical.
If you notice a suspected expired medicine being presented, alert the attending nurse or treating physician immediately and ask that the medication be verified.
Report the concern to the hospital grievance cell or the state drug control authority if you believe staff did not respond.
These steps help protect individual patients and can also prompt systems corrections that reduce future risk.
(Rh/MSM)
