Student Dies After Drinking Formalin at Private Hospital
The incident allegedly occurred due to the negligence of the hospital management in storing hazardous chemicals in an unsafe and accessible area, leading to the tragic death of the student.
Nalgonda: A 19-year-old Intermediate student died after accidentally consuming a chemical liquid, mistaking it for drinking water, at a private hospital in Miryalagudem of Nalgonda district.
The victim was identified as K. Ganesh, a second-year Intermediate student and a native of Chinna Anumula village in Anumula mandal of Nalgonda district.
According to his mother, Ganesh had been suffering from fever for the past four days and visited Krishna Sai Hospital at Khammam for medical consultation. While at the hospital, he developed a high fever and decided to take a paracetamol tablet. He went to a water can dispenser to drink water, but found it empty.
Nearby, a tin containing a colourless chemical liquid used by the diagnostic laboratory had been kept beside the dispenser. Mistaking the liquid for drinking water, Ganesh poured it into a glass and swallowed the tablet with the chemical. He collapsed shortly thereafter and died.
The chemical was later identified as formalin, which is used to preserve biopsy tissue samples for laboratory testing. Formalin is highly toxic and can severely damage organs on contact.
The incident allegedly occurred due to the negligence of the hospital management in storing hazardous chemicals in an unsafe and accessible area, leading to the tragic death of the student.
Following the incident, relatives of the deceased staged a dharna in front of the hospital, demanding strict action against the management. Miryalagudem police rushed to the spot and assured the family that appropriate action would be taken based on the post-mortem report, following which the protest was withdrawn.
Police shifted Ganesh’s body to the mortuary of the Area Hospital in Miryalagudem for autopsy and registered a case.
