12 children accidentally given sanitiser instead of polio drops in Maharashtra's Yavatmal

In a shocking incident, a dozen kids were accidentally given sanitiser instead of polio vaccine drops in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

12 children were administered hand sanitiser drops instead of oral polio vaccine drops at Bhanbora PHC (Primary Health Centre) in Kapsikopri village when the National Pulse Polio vaccination drive for children aged 1-5 years was underway, the district official told, according to PTI.

The kids were taken ill after administering the dose on Sunday and admitted to the Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College & Hospital and they are okay, according to reports reaching here.

All the kids are below five years of age and four among them are girls.

A doctor, health worker and Asha worker of the Bhambora primary health centre have come under the scanner for negligence.

Yavatmal Zilla Parishad’s chief executive officer Shrikrishna Panchal is personally supervising the probe.

He said as per preliminary information, three healthcare workers - a doctor, anganwadi sevika and an ASHA volunteer - were present at the PHC at the time of the incident.

"An inquiry is underway and orders will be issued to suspend all the three healthcare workers," Panchal told PTI.

Yavatmal collector MD Singh and superintendent of police Dilip Bhujbal have briefed the government of the developments and the action that is being taken.

The incident came a day after the Polio National Immunization Day, with President Ram Nath Kovind launching the drive on Saturday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

(With inputs from PTI)