24 May 2023 12:01 am
Last month a seven-year- old girl died in Gampola allegedly due to an overdose of paracetamol.
The investigation into the alleged incident took place towards the end of April unravelled some of the questionable setbacks in Sri Lanka’s medical system and unprofessional conduct on the part of those in authority.
Generally symptoms of a drug overdose are nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, chest pain and etc.
“The dosage of the medicine was written on both sides of the paper. We normally look for the dosage written on the inside of the prescription. We got medicine from Kuruduwatta Hospital in Kandy. Initially she had diarrhoea and after that we again visited the same hospital to take medicine. On both occasions the dosage of medicine was written on both sides of the prescription. After giving a single dose of the medicine we stopped it because she experienced difficulties and after that we admitted her to the Gampola Hospital. They were in a hurry and there was only one dispensary,” the child’s father revealed.
Critics point out that the relevant authorities must be held responsible for this incident and that the state should take necessary actions to prevent a repeat of such incidents in the future.
Questions are also raised whether the doctors couldn’t identify the symptoms of the child properly? According to the parent of the child- after taking the first round of medicine- she had experienced diarrhoea, but the doctors had allegedly failed to identify that the condition had developed due to an overdose of paracetamol
“We don’t want to see a repeat of what happened to our child,” added a relative of the child who demanded justice for the tragedy that befell on the family.
I think that the child who died had visited the OPD to receive treatment for some illness and she was given paracetamol. The drug was issued from the pharmacy there, and the paper in which the tablets were wrapped contained written instructions. So the parents had allegedly given the child a dose fit for an adult. It is a tragic incident
GMOA Media spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe
“I think that the child who died had visited the OPD to receive treatment for some illness and she was given paracetamol. The drug was issued from the pharmacy there, and the paper in which the tablets were wrapped contained written instructions. So the parents had allegedly given the child a dose fit for an adult. It is a tragic incident,” said GMOA Media spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe.
“At present an inquiry at the departmental level is progressing regarding the incident. What is important is that what really happened is revealed to the public. The main objective of this inquiry should be to avoid such tragedies in the future,” Dr. Wijesinghe added.
Questions are also raised whether there are any issues with regard to the qualifications of pharmacists. There are also inquiries to check whether there is a shortage of qualified pharmacists in Sri Lanka.
“The responsibility of all parties is important here. Not only the writing of the prescription, but also issuing drugs in the correct manner with the proper instructions should be monitored in the country. There are many incidents reported regarding the issuing of drugs to the patients or the public without a proper prescriptions or guidelines from the doctor. So these things should be focused on during the departmental inquiries.
“Due to these malpractices many lives can be lost. There are lots of malpractices happening in the country disregarding the importance of prescriptions,” Dr. Wijesinghe said.