A district medical officer has inspected Panamaram Community Health Centre in Wayanad after a 29-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly given an intradermal rabies vaccine instead of an iron injection, prompting an enquiry into the medication mix-up.
The woman, who is from Keezhkadavu, had reportedly received the first dose of an iron injection at another hospital and visited Panamaram CHC for the second dose. According to a source at the district medical office, the wrong injection was administered at the community health centre on Saturday.
The inspection followed protests over the incident. The district medical officer is examining how the medicine was identified and administered, and the health department is expected to decide on further action after receiving the enquiry report.
The district medical office source said there was prima facie a lack of diligence at the health centre. “She was administered the Intradermal Rabies Vaccination instead of giving an injection for iron deficiency. She had taken the first dose at another hospital and went here for the second dose. However, the wrong vaccine was given,” the source said.
The source also said the error reflected a failure to check what medicine was required before administering the injection. The source added that the rabies vaccine could be taken as a precaution and would not cause health issues. The report does not provide further clinical details about the woman’s treatment or any follow-up assessment.
The incident places the focus on medicine verification at a public health facility, particularly when patients move between hospitals for different doses of an ongoing treatment. The available account does not establish whether the error resulted from prescription, storage, labelling or administration procedures; those details are expected to form part of the district medical officer’s enquiry.
The health department’s next action will depend on the findings of that report. The department has indicated that further steps will be taken after the district medical officer completes the enquiry into the alleged administration of the wrong injection.
