Balangir: Tension gripped the district headquarters hospital here after some attendants at the maternity and child health ward noticed that bottles of saline that have outlived their life were being administered on patients in the ward.
The matter was brought to the notice of the doctor in charge of the ward after which the saline bottles were removed in a hush-hush manner. But the incident has triggered widespread resentment among the local people as this is the main referral hospital not only for the people of Balangir but also for the people of the adjoining districts.
Chief district medical officer (CDMO) Sugyanendra Mishra has ordered a departmental inquiry into the incident.
Achyutananda Swain of Gandhinagar locality in the town had admitted his five-year-old daughter in the hospital on Wednesday evening as she was suffering from fever. Immediately after admission, she was administered saline.
Later in the evening, Swain noticed that the expiry date on the bottle of saline that was being administered on his daughter was mentioned as "November 2017". He immediately raised an alarm.
Alarmed by Swain, other patients' attendants in the ward also checked the saline that were being administered on their patients and found that some bottles have expired long ago.
The attendants and other present in the ward immediately drew the attention of the ward in charge who examined the saline bottles and got those removed. Swain, who first spotted the expired saline, said that it was very unfortunate that the hospital staff were so irresponsible.
"Such irresponsible act is not expected from the staff of a premier government hospital. They are playing with the lives of the patients," he said.
Another attendant, Rashmi Sahu, said that fortunately there were no adverse affects of the expired saline on the patients.
CDMO Mishra admitted that it was a serious lapse on part of the hospital to administer expired saline.
"It is a serious lapse and I have ordered a probe. Three kids were administered expired saline. There are no reports of any side effects and all the three patients are normal. Stern action will be taken against those found guilty," he said.
