Three elderly women received a rabies vaccine instead of a shot against Covid-19 at a health center in Shamli district on Thursday, officials said.
A pharmacist in charge of the outpatient service at the Kandla Community Health Center (OPD), where the rabies shots are fired, was suspended on Friday while another pharmacist was fired, officials said. The medical superintendent of the facility has received a notice.
District Magistrate (DM) Jasjit Kaur said: “An investigation was ordered after the incident. The report said the three women had gone to the health center to receive Covid’s shot. But instead from going to the Covid vaccination center on the first floor, they arrived at the general OPD.The on-duty pharmacist had gone to do some essential tasks and had assigned his task of administering the rabies vaccine to a private person, Jan Aushadhi Kendra, a pharmacist, injected the three women with the rabies vaccine without checking any documents. “
He added: “According to the probe report, the CMO [Chief Medical Officer] he has been instructed to suspend the pharmacist and the medical superintendent of the hospital has been warned. Jan Aushadhi Kendra’s employee service has been terminated.
Sanjay Agarwal, director general of the CMO, said: “The anti-rabies shot is fired every Monday and Thursday at the OPD. The vaccination campaign against Covid is taking place in a separate place on the first floor of the center. The women had gone to the OPD and asked for the vaccine. “
The three women have been identified as Saroj (70), Anarkali (72) and Satyavati (62). Anarkali told reporters, “I had gone to get the crown shot and they injected the dog shot. I felt dizzy and had a headache. When I asked if I should present my Aadhaar card, they went to me. to say it wasn’t necessary. Then they said it was a vaccine against a dog bite. “
According to the letter of complaint filed with CMO Agarwal, Saroj also complained of nausea and was taken to a private doctor. “The doctor checked his medical record where it was mentioned that he had been given a rabies vaccine,” the letter said.