Keonjhar: In yet another incident raising serious concerns on the state of affairs in government-run residential schools, as many as 24 inmates of an Anwesha girls hostel were taken ill after consuming food at the institution in Keonjhar district of Odisha here on Friday.
The girls, aged between 10-12 years, are currently undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital (DHH).
As per reports, the inmates of the government run Anwesha girls Hostel near DD College here had rice and dalma on Friday morning before leaving for school. However, during the prayer session, they started feeling uneasy. A while later, they started complaining of bouts of fever, bodyache, vomitting and nausea. School authorities rushed them to the nearest hospital for preliminary treatment but as their condition did not improve, doctors referred them to the DHH.
“We had rice and dalma and then went to school. However, we started having bodyache and fever during the assembly and then rushed to the hospital,” said Kshitismita Bhoi, a Class 5 student.
Meanwhile, parents and guardians of the students alleged that they were not informed immediately about the situation and attributed the incident to poor quality food being served at the hostel. They also alleged that the minors became critical due to medical negligence. “We were apprised of the situation at around 2 pm. When I reached, only one saline had been administered. My child’s fever kept coming back despite having paracetamol. When I asked the doctors to monitor her condition, he dismissed me saying he is not a sorcerer to make an ailment magically disappear.. There is extreme medical negligence here,” claimed one of the parents. Ramesh Majhi, another guardian whose niece was admitted, made similar allegations accusing the school authorities of not even informing the families before admitting the students in hospital.
Hostel staff Manoj Nayak confirmed the incident and said the students fell ill after having the food served in the morning. As their fever got worse, they were immediately taken to the hospital.
