JAGATSINGHPUR: Chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Jagatsinghpur Rajendra Panigrahi on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to the superintendent of Kujang community health centre and an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) of Balidiha health sub-centre for allegedly administering DPT vaccine to a six-year-old child instead of his younger brother.
Last week, Madhusmita Das of Balidiha village under Kujang block had brought her five-year-old son to the health sub-centre for administering booster dose of DPT (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis). Nearly 23 children had come to the sub-centre for vaccination. ANM Pankajini Mohanty allegedly administered the DPT booster dose to Madhusmita’s six-year-old son instead of his five-year-old brother. The six-year-old child had already received the DPT booster dose about eight months ago.
After receiving the dose, the boy reportedly developed symptoms like trembling, drowsiness, vomiting, swelling, redness and eye-related problems. As his condition worsened, he was first admitted to Kujang CHC and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment.
Alleging gross negligence by the health staff, Madhusmita’s husband Manoj Das sought the intervention of Jagatsinghpur collector J Sonal and requested an inquiry. He alleged that after committing the mistake, some health staff threatened him with legal action instead of addressing the matter.
On basis of the allegation, the collector directed the CDMO to conduct an investigation. Subsequently, a probe was launched and during verification of the health centre’s register, it was found that the five-year-old child was due for the vaccine, but the dose was mistakenly administered to his elder brother.
Superintendent of Kujang CHC Chetana Purohit admitted that the ANM concerned had administered the DPT booster dose wrongly, which affected the child’s health. However, the condition of the child is currently stable.
Additional district public health officer Pramod Kumar Barik said show-cause notices have been issued to both the superintendent and the ANM for negligence in duty and supervision. Strict action will be taken against the erring staff after completion of the inquiry. He added that steps are also being taken to provide proper training to all ANMs to streamline the vaccination programme.