Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath has sought a report on the death of an eight-year-old girl died outside Agra’s Sarojini Naidu Medical College after waiting for seven hours.
The incident took place in Jarar village where the eight-year-old Anju was brought to the Community Health Centre (CHC) after being bitten by a stray dog. But the officials at the centre denied the anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) 15 times for various reasons.
According to Anju’s father- Ramveer who works as a labourer took her daughter to the Bah’s CHC but met with officials who refused to provide ARV injection as he did not carry Anju’s Aadhaar card. The officials asked them to come the next day with Aadhaar card for the vaccine. When Ramveer took his daughter the next day with the Aadhaar card but the officials said ARVs.
“I visited the centre at least 15 times but was given different excuses. I arranged money, but the vaccine was not available in the local market,” Ramveer said.
However, the chief medical officer Mukesh Kumar Vats said that there was no shortage of ARV in Jarar village. He blamed that the family members might not have reached out to the person concerned or they were given a particular time to come which they missed.
Raja Mahendra Arindaman Singh, former cabinet minister and husband of Bah MLA Rani Pakshalika Singh condemned the death and said that he will reach to the additional director (health) and make sure such cases does not recur in future.
He expressed his dissatisfaction on the health services in Bah and said that CMO is not able to bring any improvement. AK Mittal, the additional director (health) said that there were no orders from the state government to ask for Aadhaar details of patients seeking ARV.
The District Magistrate said that Anju’s death was a case of callousness and assured there will be an immediate suspension of the doctor.
Meanwhile, an inquiry conducted by Bah sub-divisional magistrate Mahesh Prakash and additional chief medical officer Virendra Bharti found Dr Dev Kumar and pharmacist Raghuraj Singh of Jarar guilty of negligence. Bharti clarified that there was no shortage of ARV and the pharmacist and the doctor were responsible for not providing the vaccine to the girl. The pharmacist has been suspended, and action is yet to be taken against the doctor.
