Brooklyn school nurses have accidentally given a young 6 year old the swine flu/H1N1 vaccine, sending her to the hospital. New York City has instituted a policy in which school children can get the H1N1 vaccine shot in the schools. They have encouraged parents to consent to the program, but less the half of the parents have signed the required consent form.
Such was the case with young Nikiyah Torres-Pierre. Her mother, Naomi Troy was outraged by the schools action, and it appears that Nikiyah had a allergic reaction to the shot to compound the problem.
Here is the part that kills me from the NY Daily News:
When the nurse called for a student Thursday morning, Nikiyah’s teacher misunderstood and sent the wrong student, Troy said.
The error was compounded when the nurse didn’t check Nikiyah’s name before sticking her in the shoulder, the mother said.
“The school made a horrible mistake,” she added. “They never asked for her name. They have no paperwork….How do you make a mistake like this?”
To add insult to injury a Department of Health employee attempted to get the mother to sign the consent form after all this happened. Nice attempt to cover your rear, but I think it’s a bit too late now.
Can anyone think of a more perfect metaphor for why we stand against government run health-care then this case? This case emphasizes the exact fear that many of us who oppose Obamacare have. When you give control to government employees, the result is always incompetence. This is not an isolated incident, this is the norm when government gets involved, especially a government that enjoys sovereign immunity or immunity from legal repercussions. They have no financial or legal incentive to maintain the highest standards, they just work there.
It seems that young Miss Torres-Pierre will be fine, but this should serve as a warning to everyone, don’t entrust things like vaccinations or medical to school officials, they will bungle it 9 times out of 10.