THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 03 July 07 Girl’s death: Lack of snake venom antidote ‘reason’ (S.Ramu)
Aitipamula (Nalgonda DT): Non availability of anti snake venom (ASV) serum stock, at the Civil Health Centre in Nakrekal, resulted in the death of Gugulothu Swathi (10), an inmate of the Tribal Girls’ Residential School in this tiny village in Kattamgur mandal on Saturday.
“We rushed the girl to the hospital by 3 a.m. on Saturday, but the duty doctor said that there was no stock of anti snake venom serum,” the school headmaster P.Damodar told The Hindu on Monday.
The headmaster immediately consulted a private doctor at Nakrekal and bought the medicine by paying Rs.400. However, the Government doctor advised him at 4 a.m. to take the girl to the district headquarters hospital as the drug might have side effects.
Mr.Damodar showed the case sheet carrying an IP number (994/199) and the admission number (555/109) to counter arguments that he hadn’t taken the girl to the Government hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, the AP Health & Medical Infrastructure Development Corporation’s stores in charge at Nalgonda, Md.Mutaher, told this reporter that there was a stock of 600 vials of ASV.
“We disbursed 60 vials to other hospitals from the stores last month and I don’t think that there is a dearth of stocks in any hospital in this season,” he said.
About 350 tribal girls are studying in this school, which was constructed in the year 2000, in a sprawling 6.5 acre piece of land.
“We are finding it difficult to maintain the big campus due to skeletal staff. We have been requesting for building a compound wall for the school for a long time,” the headmaster said.
He said that common Krait (Bungarus Caeruleus), known as katla paamu in the local parlance, bit the girl on her shoulder.
The incident has unnerved many inmates who are going home. “My daughter called me up informing about the incident and wanted to come home. I came to take her home,” a tribal woman from Seetyanaik thanda said. The teachers are trying to persuade them against taking their children back the thandas.
Meanwhile, the District Tribal Welfare Officer S.Ramaraju and the Project Director, Women and Child Welfare, Sharada visited the school to enquire into the incident. Collector M.Purushottam Reddy confirmed the lack of anti snake venom serum stocks in the hospital at that point of time.
“Supplies from Suryapet were sent to Nakrekal later,” he said adding that he would initiate action against those responsible.
Girl’s death: Lack of snake venom antidote ‘reason’