Hyderabad: Many people ask pharmacy owners and employees for tablets and syrups for what they see as minor ailments. The choice proved fatal for a man from Odisha who was given an injection by a pharmacy owner.
The victim, Sanjay Pradhan, 45, died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city on Sunday, two days after he was given the injection for fever.
His fever only increased, the injection spot began swelling and he died of a cardiac arrest, police said. Investigations are on to find out if the injection caused the death.
Pradhan, a resident of Vengal Rao Nagar, had migrated to Hyderabad about a year ago and was working as a construction labourer.
According to the SR Nagar police, Pradhan was suffering from high fever and went to a clinic at Vengal Rao Nagar crossroads along with his contractor D. Santosh had on August 21. The doctor was not present at the clinic. Naveen, the owner of a pharmacy located adjacent to the clinic, told them that he can can give medication. He administered an injection on the thigh to Pradhan, ostensibly to reduce body temperature. The next day, Pradhan’s temperature shot up and the thigh where the injection was given began swelling. On August 23, Pradhan went to Naveen and informed him about the fever. He was immediately taken to a private hospital from where he was sent home with some medicines.
On Friday, Pradhan was admitted to another hospital and he died at night while undergoing treatment.
SR Nagar sub-inspector Ch. Naresh said that based on a complaint from Pradhan’s employer, a case was registered against the pharmacy owner under IPC Section 304 II (culpable homicide) for the investigation. The body was sent for the post-mortem examination at Gandhi Hospital mortuary, where forensic doctors said that Pradhan had died of cardiac arrest.
“A short opinion was taken from the forensic doctors and it was found that the patient died of cardiac arrest. Samples of his viscera have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis to find what injection was administered to Pradhan and if was the reason for his health deteriorating,” said the SI.
The pharmacy owner who was not authorised to administer any injections was being placed under the arrest, Mr Naresh said.
Telangana Pharmacist Association president A. Sanjay Reddy said that a registered pharmacist of a registered medical practitioner will have knowledge of the drugs that are to be dispensed to patients. Quacks will have a little knowledge of the side-effects. “In this instance, it appears that the patient was administered an injection without a prescription from a doctor and without knowing its side-effects. There are laws in place and the departments concerned should act swiftly to enforce them,” he said.
