NAVI MUMBAI | September 3, 2026 — Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has ordered an inquiry after relatives of a patient treated at Vashi NMMC Hospital alleged that expired saline was administered to him before his condition deteriorated. The patient, identified as 50-year-old Gopiram Khadse, was later shifted to Hiranandani-Fortis Hospital, where he is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.
Khadse was admitted to the Vashi municipal hospital on August 31 after developing fever and dizziness. He received initial treatment and was moved to a ward. According to the report, his condition remained stable from the morning until the afternoon of September 1, after which it worsened suddenly and he was transferred to the private hospital for further care.
The patient’s relatives have alleged that an expired saline bottle was identified during his treatment. They said his condition deteriorated after the saline was administered and claimed that their complaints to doctors and hospital staff did not receive timely attention. The allegations have not been established by an independent inquiry.
Relatives, along with Bajrang Dal workers, held a protest at the Vashi hospital seeking action against the staff member responsible for administering the saline. They also demanded that the municipal administration take responsibility for the patient’s treatment.
Vashi Hospital medical superintendent Dr Ravindra Mhatre confirmed that Khadse had been admitted on August 31 with fever and dizziness. He said the patient’s condition worsened after the afternoon of September 1 and that he was shifted to Hiranandani-Fortis Hospital under the municipal corporation’s quota. Mhatre said relatives had complained about the alleged expired saline and that an inquiry would be conducted before appropriate action was taken. Senior officials had also been informed, he said.
Dr Jayaji Nath, chairman of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s health committee, said information available to the civic body indicated that Khadse had dengue and that his platelet count had fallen to around 40,000. He said the low platelet count could also have contributed to the patient’s serious condition.
Nath said it could not currently be conclusively established that the patient’s deterioration was caused only by the expired saline, particularly because no immediate reaction had reportedly occurred after it was administered. However, he described the administration of expired saline or any expired medicine to a patient as a serious lapse. The inquiry will examine how the saline was administered and who was responsible, he said.
The allegation has raised questions about medicine-stock management, expiry checks and supervision of treatment procedures at municipal hospitals. The development came shortly after the civic body approved a proposal for an integrated healthcare facilities and management policy aimed at strengthening its health services. The hospital administration’s next step is to complete the inquiry and determine whether disciplinary action is warranted.
