Health department officials and paediatric experts visited the government hospital at Mettupalayam in Coimbatore on Thursday to investigate the incident of the broken edge of a needle getting lodged in a newborn’s thigh during vaccination.
The inquiry team was led by P. Krishna, Joint Director of Health Services, Coimbatore. The other members included a paediatric surgeon from Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and a paediatrician from the Government Head Quarters Hospital in Pollachi.
“We can arrive at a conclusion only after the investigation is over, “ Dr. Krishna told The Hindu from Mettupalayam. All the doctors from the hospital who attended to the infant, including the nurse who gave the injection, were questioned, she said.
The male baby was born in the government hospital on August 20 and was vaccinated the next day. On September 8, the family members found a broken piece of needle protruding from a swelling in the baby's thigh, following which they rushed to the hospital and got it extracted. Meanwhile, the parents of the child lodged a complaint on Wednesday at the Mettupalayam police station. A community service register (CSR) was issued but no case had been registered yet, police said.
