Maharashtra Kids Given Hand Sanitiser Instead Of Polio Drops!

In a shocking case of carelessness, at least 12 children were administered hand sanitizer instead of polio drops. The health department staff at a Primary Health Centre of a Maharashtra village were responsible for this.

The incident took place on Sunday at the Kapsi-Kopari, an interior village, under Ghatanji tehsil of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district. Around 2,000 children between the ages of 2-5 came to the health centre along with the parents. Among this at least 12 children were given hand sanitizer drops instead of oral polio vaccine drops.

The health condition of these kids deteriorated and they started vomiting. They were immediately rushed to the Government Medical Hospital for treatment at Yavatmal. Dr Milind Kamble, dean of Yavatmal Medical College and hospital said that “the health condition of all the kids is stable now. They are receiving proper treatment and are currently under observation.”

All the kids will mostly receive discharge on Tuesday. The dean further assured that such an intake of hand sanitizer is not deadly. It will cause temporary health complications but not long lasting repercussions.

Parents and other senior officials are alleging that this was not an accident instead a deliberate action. Yavatmal Collector M. Devender Singh is handling the enquiry of this incident. He ordered an investigation for it.

The Zilla Parishad CEO Shrikrishna Panchal visited the village. As of now three nurses who were on duty that day have been suspended. The reports stated that the nurses made a mistake and thought of the sanitizer bottle as the one with polio vaccine. CEO Panchal has now suspended three health officers including Anganwadi worker and an ASHA worker. Further investigation is taking place now.

But the parents said that the nurses on duty were unwilling to help. They did not want to shift the kids to nearby hospital instead their entire attention was on trying to cover up the issue.