'Nurse gave Dettol instead of polio drops to child'

A nurse had accidentally administered Dettol instead of polio drops to a three-month-old baby at a health centre, and not the baby's father as earlier believed, Goa Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane has admitted.

Senior health officials had Saturday blamed the father, Rama Chorlekar, for the fiasco.

"A nurse employed at the Valpoi public health centre was at fault. No action has been initiated against her," Rane said on Saturday.

"I had recommended suspension of the nurse, but the baby's parents insisted that she be pardoned," he said.

Rane said: "The nurse accidentally switched the bottles and ended up administering Dettol instead of polio drops to the child, who could have died as a result. I promise it will never happen again."

However, Rajnanda Dessai, director of the state-run health services who had blamed the baby's father for the incident, said: "Our preliminary enquiry shows that the child was already given polio drops, but her father wanted some paracetamol syrup for the baby's cold. Since the nurse was overworked, the father accidentally picked the bottle of Dettol from the rack and administered some of the antiseptic liquid to the child."

The incident came to light after the child fell ill.