Hyderabad: The medication error at the Nampally primary health centre has highlighted the problem of shortage of drops and syrups for infants.
The staff handed out tablets to be administered to babies just a month old.
A junior doctor at Niloufer Hospital said, “We are facing problems because there are no syrups or drops even at children’s hospitals — no antibiotic drops, or tobramycin eye drops, or calcium syrups.”
In a kneejerk reaction, the government has issued notice to all the urban health centers, area hospitals, and community centres to keep paracetamol syrup to give babies, especially after immunisation drives.
The new guidelines as given by the health and family welfare department state that 0 to one-year-old children must be administered only paracetamol drops, one to five-year-olds should be given paracetamol syrup and no tablets must be given to children.
According to a senior pediatrician at Niloufer Hospital, the government is changing the policy on tramadol dispensation at government centres.
