Needle found in girl's arm after tetanus jab at UP hospital; probe ordered

Hamirpur (UP): A needle was found embedded in a girl's arm after she was administered a tetanus injection at the district hospital here, prompting the health department to launch a probe after protests by her family members, officials said on Monday.

Dr RS Prajapati, the acting chief medical superintendent (CMS) of the hospital, said the incident occurred at around 8 pm on Saturday.

Ruby, a resident of Khalepura locality in Hamirpur, took her daughter Mahak (18) to the emergency ward of the hospital for a tetanus injection after she suffered a cut with a sickle. After receiving the jab, the girl returned home with her mother, Prajapati said.

"About an hour later, Ruby along with her family members returned to the hospital and accused the staff of leaving the needle embedded in Mahak's arm. As the situation escalated, we called the police to maintain order. The matter was resolved after police intervention," Prajapati said.

Mahak's father Mausam Khan said, "After returning home, my daughter complained of pain at the injection spot. Upon checking, we found the needle embedded in her arm. We removed the needle and went back to the hospital to lodge a complaint, but the hospital staff called the police." Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Geetam Singh told mediapersons, "I was not aware of the incident. Upon learning about it from you, I have verbally instructed the additional chief medical officer to conduct an investigation. Further action will be taken based on the probe report."

Sadar Kotwali SHO Devendra Kumar Mishra said the hospital staff informed the police about people creating a ruckus inside the hospital on Saturday evening.

"We intervened and resolved the matter. No formal complaint was filed by either party," Mishra said.