Guwahati: The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has ordered an internal inquiry into an alleged case of medical negligence after a fever patient was reportedly administered injections prescribed for a kidney patient, resulting in a deterioration of her condition.
The incident came to light after the family of Kavita Deka, who had been admitted to GMCH with fever, alleged that a nursing intern mistakenly administered three injections intended for another patient suffering from a kidney-related illness. The family claimed that Deka’s health worsened after receiving the medication.
Confirming the development, GMCH Superintendent Dr Devajit Choudhury said the hospital has constituted an internal inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged medication error.
According to Dr Choudhury, the incident occurred during a busy night shift when the hospital was handling an unusually high number of patients. He said the two patients were admitted to adjacent beds, and the nursing intern on duty mistakenly identified the wrong bed before administering the injections.
“The nursing intern failed to verify the correct bed number and inadvertently administered the prescribed injections to the wrong patient,” the Superintendent said.
Hospital authorities said immediate action was taken after the error was detected. The nursing intern involved has been relieved of her duties pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Dr Choudhury said Head Nurse Minakshi Duwara, who was supervising the ward during the shift, will also be part of the inquiry process. The committee has been directed to examine the sequence of events, determine whether standard operating procedures and patient identification protocols were followed, and fix responsibility if any lapses are established.
The hospital said further action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.
GMCH also stated that nursing personnel undergo regular professional training. However, following the incident, the administration has decided to introduce additional skill-based training programmes for nursing staff to further strengthen patient safety practices and reduce the risk of similar medication errors in the future.
The incident has raised concerns over patient safety and adherence to medication administration protocols at one of Assam’s premier government healthcare institutions. The inquiry committee is expected to determine the exact circumstances that led to the alleged lapse and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
