HYDERABAD: After the goof-up by officials at Nampally urban primary health centre (UPHC) that resulted in the death of two infants and 34 getting admitted in Niloufer Hospital since Wednesday afternoon, the State government on Friday directed the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) to terminate the services of five employees of the UPHC with immediate effect - one medical officer, three Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM) and one pharmacist.
The government also directed DPH and DMHO to place health supervisor of Nampally UPHC under suspension and also frame charges against the supervisor, Senior Public Health Officer(SPHO) and District Immunization Officer (DIO). Directions were also issued to initiate disciplinary action against regular government staff at the UPHC. The DPH has also been directed to submit a detailed report on the incident by March 11.
The DPH and DMHO have been directed to address the Telangana State Medical Council, Nurses and Midwives Council and Pharmacy Council, regarding termination of the medical officer, ANMs and pharmacist at Nampally UPHC.
These directions with deadlines were conveyed by the Principal Secretary of Health, Medical and Family Welfare (HFW) department to the Commissioners of HFW (CHFW) and Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, DPH and the managing director of TSMSIDC.
It may be mentioned here that the staff at Nampally UPHC, instead of giving paracetamol to parents of infants who were vaccinated, gave them Tramadol. After the infants were given Tramadol tablets, they developed complications and were rushed to Niloufer hospital.
Tramadol supply stopped to PHCs
The State government has also issued directions to the CHFW and DPH to stop supply of Tramadol tablets with immediate effect to all Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres and withdraw all Tramadol tablets and injections presently available from all PHCs and Basti dawakhanas before March 10.