Chandigarh, July 22
Look before you hand over disposable syringes to medical practitioners or even nurses. For, you just cannot rule out the possibility of getting infection injected in your blood stream, along with the medicines. Besides other foreign particles, the syringes — nicely and properly sealed in polythene wrappers — could contain even house flies.

When the family of Chandigarh’s Permanent Lok Adalat member J.S. Kohli purchased a packet of syringes from a drug store in the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), they had no way of knowing that one of them was containing a house fly.

The insect — common source of infection — was spotted floating in saline solution by a nurse in PGIMER on Thursday night just as she was getting ready to administer the intravenous injection, fortunately. For, “anything could have happened” if the nurse had failed to spot the fly.

“The presence of foreign body in the syringe could have resulted in severe reaction and could have caused serious complications,” admits a senior PGIMER doctor. “It could have even proved fatal. In this case, the patient was very fortunate....”

Mr Kohli — also former Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary in the UT Engineering Department and ex-Chairman of Chandigarh Housing Board — is undergoing treatment for sinus at the PGIMER.

Giving details of the incident, a visibly shaken Mr Kohli says: “Luckily the lights were not dim. Otherwise, the nurse would not have detected something black floating on the surface. The PGIMER is not at fault here. But surely they must do something to bring the culprits to book”.

The PGIMER authorities, when contacted, said they were shocked to learn about the presence of fly in a sealed syringe. The authorities further added that they were also looking into the feasibility of ordering the withdrawal of all syringes manufactured by the same firm from drug stores located in the campus. “We will also be getting in touch with the Agra-based manufactures,” a senior officer said.