By IANS,
New Delhi : A leading health expert Monday said international health journal Lancet may have an ulterior motive behind its accusation that the Indian government was “suppressing truth” about drug resistant bacteria in Delhi’s water system.
Raising concerns about the methodology of the study, renowned cardiologist Devi Shetty said: “I believe it is done and published with some ulterior motives. I could have understood if they have studied it in the US, Europe and Asia. We should ask World Health Organisation (WHO) to conduct an independent study.”
The study, published in the British journal last week, said the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1) gene, which makes bacteria resistant to an array of antibiotics, including the most powerful ones, has been found in open water pools, water from overflowing sewage and even a couple of drinking water samples in the Indian capital.
The union health ministry has said there is no major health threat by the presence of a multi-drug resistant bacteria in Delhi’s environment
Shetty said: “If there is any country which doesn’t interfere with the scientific community it is India. I have worked closely with the health ministry and it is a very open kind of environment which does not involve itself with any scientific community. I am surprised that they (Lancet) have accused our government of intimidating our scientists,” he said.
“I would like to know how many sewage water samples from the US and Europe were tested for presence of multi-drug resistant bacteria,” he added.
Former Indian Medical Association vice president Ajay Kumar Singh also called for an independent inquiry.
“The Lancet study saying that this bacteria was responsible for different diseases all over the world is absolutely wrong. The matter needs to be investigated by an independent agency,” Singh said.
Days after the health ministry rejected the study on the presence of the superbug in Delhi’s environment, study co-author Mark Toleman accused the Indian government of “suppressing the truth”.
The ministry, however, said such bacteria existed all over the world and the study was targeting India.
“The government should wake up to this allegation and either they (Lancet) nullify it and if its proved true, then further action has to be taken as it is a matter of serious concern,” said Singh.