Medical Negligence: Hospital Staff Suspended After 4-Year-Old Given Expired Medicine!

A four-year-old girl got expired medicine for her pimple marks at the Attingal Government Homeopathy Hospital. The doctor and a nursing assistant are now suspended.

Thiruvananthapuram: The health department suspended two staff members at the Attingal Government Homeopathy Hospital for handing out expired medicine to a four-year-old girl. Homeopathy Department Director Dr M.P. Beena suspended Medical Officer Dr Aswathy Dhar and Nursing Assistant B. Libi pending an inquiry. The child's family filed a direct complaint with the Health Minister yesterday. Right after this, a team led by the Thiruvananthapuram District Medical Officer (DMO) visited the hospital, checked the facts, and submitted a report.

The authorities took strict action based on this DMO report. Officials said a detailed departmental inquiry will happen soon. The four-year-old girl actually went to the Attingal Government Homeopathy Hospital to get treatment for pimple marks on her face. The parents mentioned in their complaint that the child faced severe itching and her skin started oozing like a burn right after they applied the old medicine.

The DMO team initiated action after checking the hospital directly. The affected child belongs to a Thrissur-based couple who currently live in a rented house near Kallambalam Kaduvayil Palli. The hospital staff gave them medicine that had expired back in March. The hospital authorities are now claiming that they kept the expired medicines aside for disposal, and someone might have accidentally placed it back on the medicine stand.