The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Forum wants suspension of nurses revoked

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Monday, Apr 28, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Forum wants suspension of nurses revoked

Staff Reporter

Association rules out human error
“Cold chain system should be fine-tuned”

TIRUVALLUR: The Tamilnadu Government Village Health Nurses Association has demanded the immediate revocation of the suspension of two village health nurses in the district, arguing that the administration of vaccines to children requires teamwork.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, State president B.Nirmala said the village health nurses formed the last part of the network, which starts with the vaccine manufacturers. Moreover, the initial observation of the Central team that probed the death of four children after administration of the measles vaccine on April 23 in the district and a statement issued by a senior official of the Health Department based on the team’s remarks made it clear that there was no lapse in the manufacturing of the vaccine and the method adopted for administering it. So it would unfair to single out the nurses.

The suspension, which Ms. Nirmala termed unwarranted, would only demoralise the village health nurses who played a key role in Tamil Nadu achieving cent percent in the universal immunisation programme, a nationwide project launched in 1985.

Ruling out any human error or chances of the vaccine getting contaminated while being transported from the Katchur Primary Health Centre to Pennalurpet, Ms. Nirmala said the nurse, Jayalalitha, accepted the vaccine carrier from the PHC pharmacist at around 7.30 a.m. and mixed the measles vaccine and the ‘diluent’ at Pennalurpet at 11.30 a.m.

The vaccine carrier could retain the cold temperature for more than 8 hours. The vaccine administered was used for the first time in the district.

Asked how the village health nurses would react the developments in Tiruvallur forced the Government to not to use the nurses for offering basic paramedical services to villagers, Ms. Nirmala said such a move would only weaken the system of taking health services to the doorstep of the needy. “We rose to the occasion when we were asked to assume the role of basic paramedical service providers 20 years ago,” she said. Instead of trying to restrict the role of the village health nurses to health and nutrition counselling, they could be imparted additional training. The Government should provide emergency medicines to these nurses for being carried along with vaccines. Fine-tuning of the cold chain system would help to avoid such incidents.

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