36 students take ill after consuming iron pills

 As many as 36 students in Sikar district of Rajasthan were admitted to hospital after they consumed, on empty stomach, iron tablets issued in the school.

The pills were given to students as part of a weekly supplement programme run by the education department with the assistance of the  department of health. After consuming the tablets, students complained of nausea and started vomiting. They were rushed to a hospital.

After the incident, officials of the education department, district administration and police rushed to the spot and hospitalised ailing students. The children were discharged later after primary treatment.

“About 36 students in theNeem Ka Thana area of Sikar district were admitted to hospital with complaints of nausea and vomiting. All are safe and have been discharged after primary treatment,” said a senior official of the health department.

The doctors at the hospital confirmed that the incident took place after iron and folic tablets were given to students, before their meal. The incident exposed the negligence of the teachers. “These tablets are not given on empty stomach and before taking such tablets, one needs to ensure that the person has taken his meal. Tablets were given early in the morning to students on an empty stomach,” said a senior doctor treating the students.

Meanwhile, the teachers of the school rejected the charge of negligence saying that no training had been given to them in this regard.