Over a dozen kids in Aligarh fall sick after consuming MDM

ALIGARH:Over a dozen students of Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Bhankri, Aligarh, fell sick after having mid-day meal on Saturday. They were rushed to the Malkhan Singh hospital where they were treated before being discharged. Doctors said the kids suffered from gastroenteritis (food poisoning). Meanwhile, an official said that samples of the midday meal would be sent for testing.

District midday meal coordinator KS Rana told HT, “It seems that the rice, which was supplied by an NGO, was not cooked properly. The food samples will be sent for testing. Senior officials will also be informed, so that required action may be taken.”

Sources said midday meal was served to the students at 12.30 pm and soon after consuming it children started complaining of nausea and stomach upset.

Head master Hukum Singh immediately dialled the 108 ambulance service and the students were taken to the district hospital. Among those who fell sick were Reshma, Sania, Lavkush, Pavitra, Suraj, Saurabh, Jyoti,Tulsi, Prachi and Shalini. “For many days now, we have been getting poor quality midday meal. We had complained to the authorities, but they did not take it seriously,” said a student who fell ill.

Many parents said they would not allow their children to eat midday meal from now on.

“We will give our children home-cooked food. There have been complaints about poor quality midday meals for a long time, but the school administration failed to take any action,” said a student’s mother.

When contacted, chief medical superintendent Dr Ram Kishan told HT, “The children were discharged after treatment. The food poisoning may have been due to poor quality food or the use of rotten ingredients.”

Chief medical officer Dr ML Agarwal said, “The hospital staff was put on alert after we received information about children suffering from food poisoning.”