Nurse injected a newborn with 20 doses of vaccine instead of one: a story from Boyarka.

According to ТСН: In Boyarka, Kyiv region, a nurse accidentally administered 20 doses of vaccine to a newborn instead of one.

The child received two vaccines, including one in a significantly exceeded dose. As a result, the family now needs to regularly monitor the health of the infant for possible illnesses, including tuberculosis, and provide the child with powerful medication. Though doctors acknowledged the mistake, holding medical professionals accountable is quite rare in Ukraine.

“The child sleeps very restlessly. We have problems with her tummy. We can’t sleep half the day and half the night, she screams,” says mother Lyudmyla Skalozub.

According to Lyudmyla, the problems were caused by the antibiotics the baby has had to take since birth. The entire family is undergoing X-rays to monitor the likelihood of developing tuberculosis.

This situation arose due to a mistake by a nurse in the maternity hospital who administered a tuberculosis vaccine (BCG) in several times higher doses than necessary and vaccinated the baby against hepatitis.

“BCG is designed for 20 doses, but she injected all 20 doses into one child,” says the mother.

No one could predict how the mixed vaccines would affect the child's body, and the likelihood of developing tuberculosis from 20 doses was quite high.

Lyudmyla recalls that day with horror. At first, everything went normally.

“The nurse came, brought me a consent form for the hepatitis vaccination, I signed it. In the evening, a delegation of doctors and hospital administration visited the ward. It was around 18:00. They came and informed me that an unforeseen situation had occurred — two vaccines were mixed for my child,” recalls the woman.

Lyudmyla and her infant were transferred to the regional children's hospital. A week later, once she had recovered, she began to write complaints.

The nurse who made this serious mistake resigned of her own accord. At the same time, the head doctor of the maternity hospital was also dismissed. Lyudmyla notes that she had no complaints against other medical staff and considers it unfair that the nurse was not held accountable for her actions.

Lyudmyla’s lawyer emphasizes that medical professionals violated the requirements of several regulatory acts.

“Following the results of the internal investigation, it was established that the rules for conducting preventive vaccinations by nurse Zayets O.M. were violated. Based on the investigation's findings, a decision was made to hold her disciplinary and labor accountable with the hospital,” the hospital's response states.

This case raises important questions about medical accountability and vaccination safety in Ukraine. Parents who trust their children's health to medical workers have the right to a proper level of care and attention to their youngest patients. Investigating such incidents could be the first step towards improving standards in the medical field.