Father of the girl said the officer available at the Bah CHC refused to give ARV injection as Anju had no Aadh... Read More

AGRA: Eight-year-old Anju who was infected by rabies and died after waiting for treatment outside Agra’s Sarojini Naidu Medical College (SNMC) for over seven hours was shockingly denied anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) at least 15 times over flimsy excuses at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Jarar village of Bah block.

Belonging to an impoverished family, Anju was bitten by a stray dog around a month back. And the health department records suggest that ARV was available at the Bah CHC . TOI on Sunday reported how the eight-year-old girl died in lap of her mother outside the emergency ward after being denied admission in the SNMC.

Father Ramveer who is a labourer and often stays out of the village said that after the dog bite he had taken his daughter to Bah CHC, but the officer available at the centre refused to give ARV injection as Anju had no Aadhaar card. They were asked to come the next day. “The next day we went there again with the Aadhaar card, but the official made the excuse that ARVs were not available. I visited the centre at least 15 times but was given different excuses. I arranged money but the vaccine was not available in the local market,” he added.

Countering Ramveer’s claims with more excuses, chief medical officer Mukesh Kumar Vats said, “There has been no shortage of ARV in Jarar CHC for over a month. Family members may not have contacted the person concerned or were asked to visit at a certain time. At least four patients can be injected the vaccine from one vial. Once opened, the vial is not stored as it loses potency. Doctors prefer to open vial when they have four to five patients.”

“A person who is exposed and has never been vaccinated against rabies should get four doses of rabies vaccine – one dose right away, and additional doses on the third, seventh, and 14th days,” Dr Ram Pratap, senior consultant at the district hospital out-patient department, said.

While Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh, former cabinet minister and husband of Bah MLA Rani Pakshalika Singh said, “The death of the rabies infected girl is disturbing. I will speak to additional director (health) in this regard. And ensure suitable action so that such a case doesn’t recur.”

“It is correct that health services in Bah sub-division are not satisfactory. The CMO has not been able to bring any improvement. Now, the matter will be taken up with higher authorities,” Singh added.

Meanwhile, a large number of residents of Kahajuapura village visited the girl’s house to express their condolence. They met an inconsolable Anju’s mother Shrimati Devi who has hardly eaten any food since Friday evening. Shrimati said that she prays and hopes that no one ever faces such a helpless situation in which her younger daughter died on Friday. While a shattered Ramveer said, “The health services in the entire Bah block are in a very poor state. Those who have money can go to the city while others are destined to die like my daughter.”

