ONGOLE: Exposing the sheer negligence of health workers, five infants aged around two months were given wrong medication by an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and an ASHA worker at Chirala in Prakasam district on Saturday. Of the five, four developed complications and were shifted to a private hospital where they are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit.
According to information reaching the district headquarters, a medical camp was held in Vijayanagar Colony of Chirala, where children were vaccinated.
Five infants were brought to the camp and the health workers administered vaccine to them. The health workers were supposed to give paracetamol tablets to the parents to administer them to the infants who develop fever due to vaccination.
The infants should be given a dosage of 1/4 of the tablet mixed with water, a health official said. The health workers gave medicine that is used to control diabetes, instead of paracetamol to bring down temperature.
After being administered the dosage of medicine on reaching home, the infants developed complications with excess sweating and they almost lost their consciousness.
Meanwhile, ANM Aruna and ASHA worker M Krupamma noticed that the count of paracetamol tablets with them was as it is while the number of tablets to be given to diabetic patients had declined.
They sensed trouble and called up the parents on their mobile phones and informed about the lapse. The mobile phone numbers of the parents were taken at the time of vaccination.
Though the tablets were given to five infants, luckily one of them vomited soon after she was administered the tablet. As the four infants started to lose consciousness, they were immediately shifted to nearby private hospital and they are being treated in ICU.
“The infants -- one male and three females -- are kept under observation. Their condition is improving,’’ the official said. When contacted, DMHO Dr S Rajyalakshmi told TNIE that there was a clear lapse and negligence on the part of health workers.