Sanjay Nagar

BMC school

Shivaji Nagar slum

Govandi

Urdu Upper Primary Municipal School

Rajawadi Hospital

Shatabdi Hospital

PHOTO BY SACHIN HARALKAR

Parents allege their daughter died due to drug reaction



Shahid Sheikh, Chandni’s father

12-yr-old student ofBMC school dies; community links it to iron tablets given by the school; 426 students rushed to hospitals; BMC cancels medication batches.A rumour linking the death of a 12-year-old student to iron supplement tablets distributed in atriggered panic among parents in thepocket ofon Friday. Sheikh Chandni Mohammad Shahid Raza, a class VI student of Sanjay Nagar, died on Thursday night at her residence. While some parents alleged food poisoning, others blamed the composition of the iron tablets. On Friday, many children started complaining of headache, stomach pain and breathing issues. As a result, a total of 426 students from five BMC schools in the locality were admitted by their parents toin Ghatkopar andin Govandi. The cause of the student’s death, however, is yet to be ascertained.Later on Friday evening, the BMC’s health department decided to discontinue a certain batch of iron folic acid and Albendazole tablets. “Currently in use in municipal schools, these are to be discontinued with immediate effect until further orders,” stated a circular issued by Dr Avinash Supe, director, municipal hospitals.According to BMC education officer Mahesh Palkar, under the National Iron Plus Initiative (NIPI), 975 iron tablets were administered to as many students on August 6. They were all given a stipulated dose of 100 mg each for class 6to class 10. Chandni was one of them. She remained absent the next day, but attended the school on Wednesday and Thursday. Previously, she was absent from August 1- 4. “After Chandni’s death, a local announcement on Friday morning directed parents to take their children for a check-up. This spread fear amongst the community,” Palkar said, adding that the distribution of deworming (albendazole) tablets, which was scheduled for Friday, was stalled at the Urdu school because of the panic. Chandni was last examined as part of the BMC’s regular health check-up in January.“During the January check-up, she only had an ear infection. Eight months have passed since,” said Dr Jyotsna Gorad, medical officer (school department). Gorad said that the iron tablets are not administered if the student is ill and on medication. However, she ruled out death as an extreme sideeffect. “The tablets are administered once a week, usually every Monday, and are being distributed in school since it reopened in June. The deworming tablets are given once in six months. The programme has been running nationally for the last two years,” she said.Authorities have also ruled out the possibility of food poisoning on Friday. “Mass hospitalisation seems to be a side-effect of the student’s death. Chandni died on Thursday, but no other child complained on that day,” an official said. Nevertheless, as per rules, forensic officials collected samples of dal and chawal served in the school. The school functioned half day on Friday and children were allowed to leave at 11.00 am.Dr Vidya Thakur, medical superintendent of Rajawadi Hospital, said, “350 children in the 5-16 age group were brought to the hospital either by the parents or school teachers. All were stable and our experts have ruled out any kind of drug reaction. As few children were complaining of stomach pain and headache, we have treated them with ORS powder and antacid.Not a single child was treated for drug reaction, vomiting or diarrhoea.” According to Dr Thakur, while 17 have been kept under observation, only four children suffering from diarrhoea and nausea since last week have been admitted.The 36 children brought to Shatabdi Hospital were all discharged on Friday night.Dr Archana Bhalerao, health committee chairman, BMC, said, “I have asked the BMC health department to submit a report about the incident. So far, it looks like all the kids were rushed in as a panic reaction.”-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“My daughter was absolutely fine. It was only when she had iron and folic acid medicine on Monday that she fell sick. She was complaining of headache and abdomen pain. Yet, she didn’t skip her class and attended school on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Shahid Sheikh, Chandni’s father, adding that he wanted to take her to the hospital on Friday but her condition worsened and she started vomiting blood on Friday morning. “We rushed her to Rajawadi Hospital but the doctor told us that she was no more,” said Sheikh, alleging that she died of drug reaction. “She was not suffering from any disease; we want justice,” he said.