Residents blame Corpn for distributing expired zinc tablets at fever camps

Chennai

GM Shankar, a resident of Lakshmi Nagar in Madipakkam said that the civic body had conducted a fever camp in the locality a few days ago. “At the camps, they refused to give tablets to the persons with no co-morbid conditions. They gave tablets only to aged persons and persons with co-morbid conditions. When we checked the tablets, we found that some of the zinc sulfate tablets were already expired,” Shankar explained.

As a precautionary measure against the virus, the State government has instructed the Chennai Corporation to distribute zinc tablets and multi-vitamin tablets along with kabasura kudineer to the vulnerable population. Apart from distributing the tablets to the houses in containment areas, the civic body distributes the medicines to the persons visiting the fever camps.

Also, Shankar pointed out that the civic body is hoodwinking the public and the government by distributing lesser dosage tablets rather than distributing the recommended dosage. “As per the government order, zinc sulfate tablets of 500 mg dosage should be given but the doctors at the camps gave 55 mg tablets. This raises suspicions of misconduct in the procurement of tablets,” he added.

When asked, a Chennai Corporation official said that the civic body has been giving away only the new tablets to the residents and added that the field-level officials would be asked to check the stock before distributing them to the public.

Meanwhile, Chennai Corporation conducted as many as 3,706 fever camps across the city from June 11 to June 20, in which 1,93,028 persons attended. At the camps, the civic body had identified as many as 6,485 persons with influenza-like-illness. “Samples from such persons were taken and sent for testing,” an official said.