In another incident of alleged negligence by a government hospital in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, a 36-year-old woman was administered two doses of the Covishield vaccine seconds apart. The family of the woman, who fell sick following the incident and is still ailing, has urged the state government to intervene. The incident happened on June 1 when Rajila Nisar, who resides near Kuttiadi in Kozhikode, took part in the vaccination drive held at the Primary Health Centre in Ayancheri panchayat.
After Rajila was administered the first dose of Covishield, the same health worker gave her another dose, the family alleged. Rajila, who developed severe discomfort following this, was under treatment for many days in various hospitals in the district. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the second dose of Covishield is supposed to be administered within 12 to 16 weeks after the first dose.
This is not the first time such an incident has taken place in the district. In March, another Kozhikode woman was similarly administered both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on the same day at the Government General Hospital in Kozhikode. Speaking to TNM, Rajila’s husband Nisar KK alleged that even after such a grave accident no officials visited Rajila nor has anyone officially accepted that such an error has happened.
“Both of us had gone to get vaccinated. First it was her turn, but I was also in the room as I was the next person to get vaccinated. Rajila was made to sit in a chair and a nurse injected the vaccine in one of her arms and gave her cotton to place at the jab site. Again, the same nurse came and injected another dose below the first site. This happened even as Rajila was holding the cotton at the first dose site. I saw this but thought it was normal and that maybe the first injection was some test dose. I didn’t suspect anything as there was no rush also in the hospital. Following this, they asked Rajila to go to the other room and get paracetamol tablets,” says Nisar.
But when his turn came, Nisar realised what happened was a mistake. “After the injection was administered, they asked me to go get medicines from the other room. Then I asked why my wife was given two doses. It’s then that they discovered the error,” he says. Nisar further adds that the health workers rushed outside and informed other officials who were present.
The family says that though Rajila did not exhibit any discomfort initially, she collapsed after returning home. For a week following this, Rajila was hospitalised in the Kozhikode Medical College hospital and at another private hospital in Vadakara.
“She had chest pain and tremors. She is also diabetic. On June 7, she was discharged from the Medical College as doctors said there were no issues with her. But as she still continued to be weak, we sought treatment at a private hospital in Vadakara. She got a little better after that, but from yesterday (July 3) onwards, she says she feels weakness below her waist. We’re really scared,” Nisar adds.
Nisar, who was previously working in a Gulf country, came home last year after losing his jobs due to the pandemic, and had started a vegetable stall. “We’re not asking for anyone to be dismissed or any compensation. But we want justice, we want the state government to accept this. Since the incident, we have been asking the officials to give a written statement that such a mistake took place, but they are refusing to do that,” says Nisar. He adds that the family will soon move the High Court with a complaint.
Meanwhile, speaking to TNM, the Kozhikode District Medical Officer said that a report has been sought regarding the incident.
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