28 December,2014 10:20 AM IST | | Sadaguru Pandit
Children develop allergic reactions to intravenous medicines, patients stable; still suffer from mild fever and rashes; doctors clueless about the exact cause
Mumbai news, KEM Hospital, post treatment illness, child patients, Isha Gupta, paediatric ward, KEM, rashes, mild fever, intravenous medicines, side effects
Four children admitted at KEM's paediatric ward developed an infection at 12.30 am on Friday, allegedly due to the intravenous medication prescribed by the doctors. Symptoms of the infection included acute fever and severe itching. Although the patients were reported to be stable on Saturday morning, they still complained of itching and mild fever.
Eight-year-old Isha Gupta developed rashes on her legs
The doctors asked the patients' parents to report the incident at Bhoiwada police station, under whose jurisdiction the hospital falls.
The patients
The children, Tuba Khan (3), Isha Gupta (8), Abhay Sinngh (9) and Priya Dravid (5), were undergoing treatment for various ailments at the paediatric ward of the hospital. The doctors had prescribed intravenous medicines, which the patients' parents purchased from Shivkrupa Medical, Mukesh Medical and the in-house medical store of the hospital. However, on Friday morning, the kids developed an allergic reaction to the saline. All four developed high fever and itching, which did not subside.
Joseph Dravid, Priya's father, said the doctors administered the same medicine to his daughter earlier on Thursday and that she contracted high fever. "Priya developed high fever within 30 minutes after they injected the saline. At night, they administered the same medicine, and all four children had an allergic reaction," said Joseph.
Acting on the parents' complaints, the doctors reportedly stopped administering the saline and prescribed antibiotics, to contain the infection.
Doctor speaks
The doctors said that such allergic reactions can happen when a child's system rejects the medicine. "We will conduct blood tests to determine the cause," said a doctor on condition of anonymity.
Suraj Mulani, PSI, Bhoiwada police station said that the medicines were brought from a medical store outside the hospital. "The matter is under investigation," said Mulani.
