Assam: 5-year-old boy injected with expired vaccines in Barpeta Road, FIR filed

In a distressing occurrence, a 5-year-old boy was reportedly vaccinated with expired medicine by a pediatrician in Barpeta Road. The child's mother claimed that her son was taken to New Sanjeevani Medical, a local pharmacy, due to a cough and cold on December 11.

There, Dr Mihir Kumar Bhuyan recommended certain essential medicines and administered two vaccines, pentaxim and tythibev.

Despite the mother's inquiry about the vaccines' duration, the doctor assured her and proceeded with the vaccination. However, the parents later discovered that the Pentaxim vaccine had expired in March 2023.

When confronted, Dr Bhuyan allegedly threatened to withdraw the vaccine's cost. The child's health worsened from the evening of December 12, leading to his admission to Barpeta Medical College Hospital and eventually a private hospital in Guwahati. The mother has accused the doctor of administering the expired vaccine, worth about Rs 5,000, out of sheer greed.

A thorough investigation has been conducted against Dr Bhuyan, and the child's parents have filed an FIR at Barpeta Road police station seeking justice. The doctor, however, appeared at the police station and attempted to pressure the police into not registering a case, claiming that the matter was resolved due to a misunderstanding. The mother has urged the police to take necessary action against the doctor.