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Friday, March 29
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59 kids injected with single needle!


Mangalore Today News Network

HYDERABAD, March 3: In an incident that throws light on the alarming state of government-run hospitals, 59 children were injected an antibiotic __ all with a single syringe and needle__ on Sunday night at Niloufer Hospital in the city.

Such unsafe practices raise the risk of acquiring blood-borne infections like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. "The incident clearly shows violation of the fundamental rule in safe injection practices: one needle, one syringe and to be used only one time," said Dr Mahesh Joshi, head of emergency services, Apollo Hospitals.

 

Single needle ...


As the news broke early on Monday morning, Niloufer Hospital witnessed chaotic scenes as irate parents staged protests. An immediate probe revealed that a staff nurse, identified as Prameela, who was on night shift at the hospital on Sunday, injected ’Monocef’ antibiotic to treat infections, following prescription by doctors attending on the children, aged mostly between three months and four years.

These children were suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia, respiratory infections, diarrhoea, and viral fever, among other infections, for which they were being examined.

Parents and relatives protested after they noticed rashes on the skin and swelling on the arms of children soon after they were given the injection. "My 11-month-old daughter was continuously crying after she was administered the injection. When I questioned the nurse why she was using a common syringe and needle for all, she brushed aside my objections," said P Ramakrishna, a resident of Mahbubnagar, whose daughter was referred to Niloufer following a serious bout of pneumonia.

Insiders said the nurse, in the absence of duty resident medical officer Dr J Krishna and lack of proper supervision by nursing superintendent Jude Smith, used the common syringe and needle for injecting all the ailing children with the drug.

"I protested looking at the way the kids were being injected, but to no avail. Luckily, when my ailing five-month-old baby boy’s turn came to take the injection, the nurse ran out of the antibiotic," said a relieved Anwar Pasha, father of the boy, who was referred to Niloufer from Kothagudem, Khammam recently.

The incident comes three days after World Health Organisation (WHO) urged India to use ’auto-disable smart syringes’ after it pointed to unsafe injection practices for the rise in hepatitis B and HIV cases.


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