Butter Chicken turns villain; 90 MBBS students in Thiruvananthapuram survive health scare

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A butter chicken dish ended up sending 90 MBBS students in Thiruvananthapuram to hospital beds last Friday night. These students endured hours of vomiting, diarrhoea, and dizziness. The incident took place in the Medical College Women's Hostel.

Of these, 84 sought treatments in the hospital's emergency department. All are in stable condition. The food in the hostel mess on Friday night was butter chicken, fried rice, and lime juice. Sometime after food, many students experienced vomiting, and head and stomach aches. All of them rushed for medical treatment in droves. As per reports, students who preferred vegetarian dishes were saved from the health scare.

Following the incident, the food safety department reached the hostel and collected samples of food and water used. Students said that the hostel food going stale was not a new story and alleged many such cases in the past too. The student union also demanded a detailed investigation into the food poisoning incident that happened amidst arriving exams.

Following the food poisoning, most of the students vacated the hostel and went home. No confirmation was made on whether it was indeed the fault of the food served, said Dr U. Anuja, Principal-in-charge of the Medical College.

The authorities also informed that further steps are being taken under the leadership of the Food Safety, Microbiology and Housekeeping departments. More than 600 students live in the hostel. The incident will be clarified once the results of the food samples are received.

Five female students sought treatment at the emergency department due to diarrhoea. Principal-in-charge Dr Anuja clarified that although more people were found to have such discomforts during the examination conducted at the hostel, none of them had problems that required seeking treatment.

In addition to the food prepared in the hostel, it is common for the students to go out and eat at local eateries.