ASHA worker booked for giving water mixed with hand sanitiser to baby

Mangalore Today News Network

Tripura, Aug 12, 2020: A 10-month-old baby boy was given water mixed with hand sanitiser, whose use is commonplace these days because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, by an accredited social health activist (ASHA) worker.

The incident occurred at a healthcare centre, located at Sonaimuri village in Tripura’s Unakoti district, where the baby, who is now out of danger, was taken for polio vaccination on Tuesday.

The village is located around 133 kilometres (km) away from the state capital, Agartala.

A complaint was registered at Kumarghat police station, under whose jurisdiction the Sonaimuri village falls, against the ASHA worker Pushpa Das, who had given water to the baby.

The police said a woman took her baby to the health centre on Tuesday for polio vaccination. After the vaccination, the woman asked Das for water to quench her baby’s thirst. Das handed over a bottle of water to the woman to make him drink water. The baby started feeling unwell after drinking the water and had to be taken to a hospital.

Later, it was revealed that the bottle contained water mixed with hand sanitiser.

“We took a general diary on the basis of the woman’s complaint on Tuesday evening. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the ASHA worker didn’t know that the bottle contained water mixed with hand sanitiser. An investigation is on. Now, the baby is out of danger,” said Pradyot Datta, the officer in-charge of Kumarghat police station.


courtesy:Hindustan Times