Viral video: Patient given mineral water bottle drip instead of saline at MP Hospital

Bhopal: In a disturbing incident, a viral video purportedly showing a minor being treated using water from a mineral water bottle instead of saline at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori has sparked outrage and prompted an official inquiry into the alleged lapse in patient care.

The video, reportedly recorded in the hospital's emergency ward, shows a boy who was admitted after allegedly consuming rat poison, undergoing gastric lavage with water from a mineral water bottle suspended from an IV stand. The video quickly went viral on social media, raising concerns over patient safety and adherence to medical protocols. 

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Speaking to TOI, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Manoj Pandey confirmed that an inquiry has been initiated. “A probe has been launched in this regard,” said Dr Pandey. However, he added that false information was also being circulated on social media.  

District administration officials said they had taken cognisance of the viral video and ordered a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the treatment. According to authorities, the child's condition improved after receiving initial treatment, and he was later discharged from the hospital.

The incident has once again brought Dindori District Hospital under the spotlight amid longstanding complaints of inadequate infrastructure, shortage of doctors, alleged negligence, and poor management. The viral video has particularly alarmed residents from the district's remote tribal areas, many of whom depend exclusively on the government-run hospital for emergency and routine healthcare.

The incident also triggered widespread criticism on social media. In a post on 'X', a user alleged that using a commercial mineral water bottle during gastric lavage amounted to a violation of standard medical protocol, arguing that the procedure should be performed only with approved sterile medical fluids because of the risk of contamination. 

Hospital officials are awaiting the outcome of the inquiry, while health department sources said investigators will examine whether staff resorted to improvisation because of resource shortages or acted negligently, and whether the incident points to deeper systemic shortcomings requiring administrative intervention, reports TOI.

District officials have assured that the inquiry will be conducted transparently and that appropriate corrective measures will be taken, if necessary, to strengthen patient safety and restore public confidence in the district's healthcare system.

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