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Jane Moir

More than 500 pregnant women accidentally received epidurals containing a preservative because a hospital pharmacist failed to verify the drug's contents with the maker, it was disclosed yesterday.

 The blunder angered pharmacists and patients' rights groups, who said the women should be immediately told of the mistake despite Hospital Authority assurances that no harm had been caused.

 A total of 526 mothers-to-be at Tsan Yuk maternity hospital in Western were injected with the painkiller fentanyl as an epidural between April 7 last year and March 12 this year. However, the drug contained the preservative parabens - which pharmacists and the Hospital Authority agree should not be given to pregnant women.

 The authority's chief pharmacist, Lee Pak-wai, said the mistake happened after the hospital's pharmacist failed to check the drug contents with the manufacturer and relied only on medical literature.

 The hospital pharmacist had discovered the error when a letter arrived from the maker saying they would in future provide fentanyl not containing the preservative.

 The pharmacist has received a warning and is still on duty.

 The hospital reported the mistake to the authority on March 20 this year, but will not inform the patients involved.

 'With this issue we are not covering up,' Mr Lee said.

 'We have been assured there are no side effects, although we would not normally put it [parabens] in an epidural. It's not correct, you shouldn't give it,' he said.

 Association of Practising Pharmacists spokesman Scarlett Pong Oi-lan said: 'We would not use it because we don't know the toxicity.'  After seeking advice from local and overseas experts, the authority concluded the preservative's side-effects were minimal, and no women had complained of toxic symptoms or allergic reactions.

 'We considered it inappropriate to inform the women, which would only cause unnecessary panic and worries,' the authority said.

 But Patients Rights' Association spokesman Yung Wai-mui said the women involved had a right to be told.

 The authority has set up a hotline for concerned mothers, who can dial 2589 2226 from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, and from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday.



526 women given 'tainted' epidural in hospital blunder