HYDERABAD: Six children of a Telangana Minorities Residential School for girls at Shahalibanda ended up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital due to food poisoning, after spoilt food was served to them in the school on Thursday. As many as 59 other children of the school were kept under observation at the hospital.
On Thursday morning, 65 students of the school complained of uneasiness and vomiting after breakfast, following which they were rushed to the Princess Esra Hospital. Once the students were brought there, they were attended to and around 20 of them were also discharged by the afternoon. By evening all others, except around 10 students, were sent back to the school after their health was observed to be stable. However, in the late evening, all the students were again brought back to the hospital due to poor health conditions. Following this, six students were admitted to the ICU for treatment due to severe dehydration. Sources at the hospital informed that the health condition of these six children is stable.
Of the remaining students, 15 were discharged from the hospital at night and others were kept under observation. According to sources at the hospital, the students were served bondas for breakfast. Quality of the flour used to make the food is under question. It is being suspected that the midday meal served to children at the school, could also have had something spoilt in it, as they had to be brought back to the hospital in the evening again.
Reacting to the negligence by school authorities, Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS), Secretary, B Shafiullah has sought an immediate inquiry into the issue and is likely to take disciplinary action against the school’s staff. Shafiullah said, “Nobody will be spared. A detailed inquiry will be conducted. The students suddenly felt ill after having their breakfast in the morning. They were immediately admitted to nearby hospital where they were given medication”.