Bhubaneswar: Eight-month-old dies due to wrong injection, three detained

Bhubaneswar, Mar 18: In an unfortunate incident, an eight-month-old baby girl died after reportedly being administered a wrong injection at a private clinic under Laxmisagar police limits in Bhubaneswar last evening.

Join the Whatsapp Channel to Get News updates in english

According to reports, the baby girl Risika Saha, daughter of Ritesh Kumar Saha from Badagada Canal Road, was taken to the clinic around 7:30 PM for a cold and cough. After check-up, the pharmacist gave her an injection. Unfortunately, she collapsed moments after the shot was administered and was declared dead by 7:40 PM.

After the tragedy, the infant’s family protested outside the clinic, blaming medical negligence for her death. Enraged over it, locals also joined in, demanding action against those responsible, and vandalized the clinic.

Upon getting the information, Laxmisagar and Badagada police arrived at the scene and pacified the agitators. The cops also detained the doctor, a pharmacist, and the clinic owner for questioning in connection with the infant’s death.

The grieving family claimed that the pharmacist administered the wrong injection, causing the child's death. They also questioned why the doctor didn’t refer the child to a specialized hospital if her condition was serious.

However, the clinic authorities denied the allegations of negligence and said that the baby was already in critical condition when she arrived at the clinic.

"She had severe congestion, so we gave her primary treatment, including oxygen and an injection. Sadly, she passed away soon after. I even tried CPR, but it was too late. The pharmacist gave the injection correctly, and there was no medical mistake," said the doctor.

The child's body was sent to Capital Hospital for a post-mortem and the exact cause of death will be known after we get the autopsy report, said the police.