After rickshaw puller, sweeper gives injection in UP

Days after a rickshaw puller injected an infant and caused his death, a patient in Ambedkar Nagar district hospital died in a similar way when a sweeper administered him injection.

Health officials said here on Monday that R P Yadav, the sweeper and a contractual employee, was dismissed following the incident and the duty nurse was suspended.

According to the reports, the patient Om Prakash Dhuria had been brought to the district hospital at Ambedkar Nagar, about 200 km from here, on Wednesday. As his condition deteriorated, the doctor on duty had prescribed an injection on Sunday. The drug was allegedly injected by the sweeper though the nurse on duty should have given it.

An inquiry has been ordered into the matter, sources here said.

Incidents of sweepers and ward boys giving sutures and injections to critically ill patients have been a common breach of code in many UP hospitals.

There had also been reports of women delivering babies in hospital rooftops in some districts.
A few months ago, auxiliary nurse–midwives were found engaged in delivery of babies under candlelight at a community health centre in Barabanki since there was a power shut down and the generator was out of order.