The State Government has suspended a doctor of the Patnagarh Sub-Divisional Hospital in Balangir district for allegedly administering a wrong injection to a one-year-old child suffering from diarrhea.
The suspended doctor was identified as Biju Agrawal of the Paediatric Department of the hospital. The decision came after Health and Family Welfare Secretary PK Mehera found fault in the doctor’s prescription of medicines for the child during his recent visit to the hospital.
Dr Mehera, who too is an MBBS degree holder, said as the patient was a year-old child, the doctor should not have prescribed Netilmicin injection or Amikacin injection.
The doctor prescribed the wrong injection and the family members purchased it from outside as this was not available in the hospital. By prescribing medicines not available in the hospital’s Niramaya store, Dr Agarwal also violated the guidelines of Niramaya scheme, under which free medicines should be provided to patients in all Government- run hospitals, an official said.
The erring paediatrician has been placed under suspension pending the disciplinary proceeding against him, said the official. During the period of his suspension, Dr Agrawal would be posted at the Balangir District Headquarters Hospital.