Impact: TN hospital under scrutiny

Chennai: Authorities seem to have woken up to the issue of Tamil Nadu government hospitals reusing injection needles and syringes without sterilizing them.

The state government promised action after CNN-IBN special investigation team showed how thousands of patients are being subjected to re-used needles in the government hospitals in the Thiruvallore district.

Reacting to the shocking revelation, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary V K Subbaraj assured to set up a committee to look into the matter. He told CNN-IBN that the state Health Department has already sent its officials to inspect the Thiruvallore District Hospital.

“Since you have brought this to my notice, I've asked higher level officers to go and investigate into this. If there are problems, we'll see that these deficiencies are set up,” Subbaraj told CNN-IBN on Tuesday.

The district collector of Thiruvallore has also sent his officials to compile a report evaluating how many needles are being supplied to the hospital and how many are actually being used.

While the government machinery is turning slowly, what is the immediate solution to the problem of syringes shortage in government hospitals?

“There are companies that produce syringes with such needles that you can give only one shot and after that you cannot use it again. It needs to be crushed or destroyed to prevent its reuse,” Dr Kumaraswamy Doctor.

Thiruvallore's not an isolated case, the needle of suspicion seems to be pointing at hospitals across the country. Government reports indicate 65 per cent of all needles used in the country are unsafe. The general public is already apprehensive about stepping into a government hospital.

“They reuse needles in all government hospitals, even in Chennai,” said one resident. “I am scared to go the government hospitals due to the risk of AIDS with infected needles,” said another.

The need of the hour is to find a solution quickly so that more patients are not exposed to the risk of HIV.

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