A five-member investigative committee has uncovered a major medical ethics violation at VS Hospital in Ahmedabad, where nine doctors allegedly conducted unauthorized drug trials on more than 500 patients since 2021. The trials, carried out in collaboration with approximately 58 pharmaceutical companies, lacked proper regulatory approvals and oversight.
According to officials, eight contractual doctors and associate professor Dr. Devang Rana have been implicated in the unauthorized clinical research. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), which manages VS Hospital, has suspended Dr. Rana and terminated the contracts of the eight other physicians involved.
Unauthorized Ethics Committee Operations
The investigation revealed that an illegitimate ethics committee at the hospital had been approving clinical trials without legal sanction. Dr. Supriya Malhotra, a professor and member of the investigative committee, confirmed that the ethics committee was formed after the establishment of SVP Hospital but failed to secure necessary approvals from regulatory authorities.
"No ethical committee was established according to National Medical Commission and Drug Controller of India regulations during the tenure of the then superintendent," stated Deputy Municipal Commissioner Bharat Parmar during a press conference on Saturday.
The unauthorized committee allegedly collected "lakhs of rupees" (hundreds of thousands) for approving these trials. Committee members reported that payments from pharmaceutical companies were deposited directly into the bank accounts of the doctors involved in conducting the trials.
Patient Population and Trial Scope
The unauthorized trials reportedly involved patients suffering from various conditions, including:
- Autoimmune diseases
- Rabies
- Skin diseases
- Other medical conditions
The investigation committee noted that proper records of the trials were not maintained, complicating efforts to fully assess the scope and impact of the unauthorized research. Information about the trials is now being obtained from Site Management Officers (SMOs) of the pharmaceutical companies involved.
Discovery and Response
The scandal came to light after a new superintendent was appointed at VS Hospital and a complaint regarding illegal drug trials surfaced. The matter gained official attention following a formal complaint filed by Congress corporator Rajshree Kesari in February.
In response, AMC formed an investigative committee including NHL College Dean Dr. Cherry Shah, Professor Dr. Supriya Malhotra, AMC's Manish Trivedi, and Vigilance Director Hina Bhathawala. Their preliminary findings prompted immediate action against the doctors involved.
Administrative Failures
The investigation has also implicated the former hospital superintendent in the scandal. According to reports, the superintendent played a key role by securing the Deputy Municipal Commissioner's signature while circumventing established protocols and regulatory requirements.
The unauthorized trials occurred despite the significant investment in healthcare infrastructure in the area. In January 2019, the municipal corporation built the Rs 800-crore ($96 million) SVP Hospital with 1,600 beds on the VS Hospital campus, highlighting questions about oversight and governance within the healthcare system.
Authorities continue to investigate the full extent of the unauthorized trials, potential harm to patients, and the exact nature of the relationships between the implicated doctors and pharmaceutical companies.
