Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya (aka Seethakka) urged Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders not to politicise the recent food poisoning incident at the Tribal Welfare Residential School in Wankidi mandal, Adilabad district.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 5, the minister rebutted allegations made by former minister T Harish Rao, who visited students receiving treatment at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The Sircilla Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) had criticised the state government for allegedly failing to care for the students who fell ill.
Anasuya clarified that the government has ensured quality medical care for the affected students, allocating Rs 5 lakh for their treatment.
Speaking from Maharashtra, where she is currently on tour, the minister said the students were recovering and not in danger. She also recalled that during the BRS regime, several food poisoning cases had been reported, with the Telangana High Court ordering inquiries into the incidents.
According to an official release, a total of 330 students were present at the Wankidi school on October 29, the day the food poisoning incident occurred. On that day, Ch Shailaja, a Class IX student, showed symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting.
With assistance from the school auxiliary nurse midwife, she was initially admitted to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Wankidi. However, her condition worsened, prompting a transfer to Max Care Hospital, Mancherial. All medical and family expenses were covered by Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Utnoor.
Later, Shailaja was shifted to NIMS, Hyderabad, accompanied by a doctor and ANM in a ventilator ambulance for specialised treatment.
Additionally, students K Jyothi and E Mahalaxmi were referred to NIMS on November 3.
Other students were admitted to different hospitals, with five at Max Care, Mancherial, 17 at Life Line Hospital, Asifabad, three at Srinivas Hospital, and one at Vijetha, Kagaznagar.
The ITDA, Utnoor, covered all treatment and food expenses for the students' families. To date, around Rs 5 lakh has been spent on treatment, the release mentioned.
The statement added that 78 students in total were admitted to hospitals, of whom 62 have since recovered and been discharged. Sixteen students remain under treatment in various hospitals.
Another 252 students displayed no symptoms and are under continuous monitoring by the Health department.
Samples of water, food, and stool were collected for testing. The water report showed no contamination, while the stool samples tested positive for Bacillus cereus bacteria. The food report is still pending, the statement said.
