Doctor, 2 others sacked after children given sanitiser instead of polio drops

The services of three persons were terminated on the basis of prima facie evidence, said officials.

Services of three health workers, including a doctor, were terminated while two other medical officers were given show-cause notices after 12 children were given sanitiser instead of polio drops in Maharashtra.

The incident took place at Kapsi-Kopari, an interior village under Ghatanji tehsil of Yavatmal district on Sunday. (Representative Photo: Reuters)

The incident took place at Kapsi-Kopari, an interior village under Ghatanji tehsil of Yavatmal district on Sunday. Around 2,000 children had gathered along with their parents for the polio vaccination programme.

After being administered sanitiser drops, the children started vomiting and showed symptoms of uneasiness. Later they were brought to the paediatric ward of the Government Medical College and Hospital at Yavatmal.

The Yavatmal Zilla Parishad chief executive officer, Dr Shrikrishna Panchal, has named a two-member committee comprising Dr Dhole and Dr PS Chavan to probe the incident. Further action will be taken after the committee submits its report.

Panchal said that the services of three persons were terminated on the basis of prima facie evidence while a comprehensive action would be initiated against the guilty after the probe.

Meanwhile, Dr Milind Kamble, the dean of the government-run medical college and hospital, Yavatmal, informed that all the 12 children, who were admitted at the hospital on Monday morning with serious condition, were discharged this afternoon. “They are now in good condition and healthy,” he further informed.