Hyderabad: Two children, both aged three, fell ill in Mahbubnagar district after a sweeper allegedly gave wrong medicines to their illiterate parents in the absence of the pharmacist.
The two children, Ajay and Shailaja, in separate consultations, were prescribed medicines by doctors at the Area Hospital in Gadwal in Mahbubnagar district for skin infection and cold respectively.
However, when they reached the hospital pharmacy for the prescribed medicines, the pharmacist was absent, causing them to become impatient.
Dr P. Chandrasekhar, superintendent, Area Hospital, said, “He had gone to the hospital office to submit some files for audit.”
“The pharmacist hadn’t asked the sweeper to fill in for him but with increasing rush at the store, he distributed some medicines,” Dr Chandrasekhar informed.
The sweeper, Krishna, gave Ajay’s parents the wrong medicines and asked them to administer it internally when they were only supposed to be applied on the skin to cure skin infection. On the other hand, he advised excessive dosage of medicine to Shailaja for a simple cold.
Both children fell ill and were brought back to the hospital by their parents. Ajay’s condition was serious until evening but doctors said he was stable by night. He even had seizures a couple of times.
The girl, however, was only mildly affected and was treated at another local hospital.
