30 children vaccinated with 1 syringe in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar

In a shocking incident, one syringe was used to vaccinate 30 students in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar on Wednesday in violation of single-syringe rule.

The incident came to light when one of the parents shot a video and complained to health authorities about the same.

In the video, the vaccinator, Jitendra, is seen saying that only one syringe was sent by the authorities and he was “ordered” by the “head of department” to vaccinate all the children with it. However, he said he did not know the name of the HOD.

“The person who delivered the materials only gave a single syringe,” Jitendra says in the video

When asked if he knew that only one syringe should be used per person, Jitendra said, “I know that. Which is why I asked them if I have to use just one syringe and they said ‘yes’. How is this my fault? I did what I was asked to do.”

Shocking violation of “One needle, one syringe, only one time” protocol in #COVID19 #vaccination, in Sagar a vaccinator vaccinated 30 school children with a single syringe at Jain Public Higher Secondary School @ndtv @ndtvindia pic.twitter.com/d6xekYQSfX

— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) July 27, 2022

The act is against the Central government’s “one needle, one syringe, one time” pledge that medical professionals are required to follow.

An FIR has been lodged against Jitendra for negligence and violating the pledge. An inspection was conducted immediately after parents raised alarm, but Jitendra was not present during the inspection and his phone was also switched off since the incident came to light.

Sagar health department officials have started a departmental inquiry against Dr Rakesh Roshan, the District Immunization Officer who was in charge of sending the vaccine and the other required materials.