Did 23 students of a school in Usgao experience psychological rather than physiological symptoms when they claimed to have been ill after eating midday meals in July?
With the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) ruling out contamination in the food served under the midday meal scheme, Ponda Police is in the process of dropping charges and closing the case against the two self-help groups involved in supplying the meals.
It may be recalled that 23 students from St Joseph High School, Usgao, fell ill and complained of stomach pain on July 19 after reportedly consuming food supplied under the midday meal scheme.
Ponda Police had initially booked two self-help groups who had supplied the food, but with an FDA report confirming no contamination in the meals, sources at Ponda Police informed that charges levelled against the two self-help groups will be dropped before closing the case.
Incidentally, School Manager Fr Felix Lobo had also denied that the meals in question had been contaminated, while the head of one self-help group had even claimed that the food served was fit for consumption.
There are now suggestions that the 23 students could have experienced psychological effects rather than actual ailments, after one student had complained of abdominal pain.
“It was clinically suspected to be a case of food poisoning. The students who were admitted in the hospital were fine. There were no signs of vomiting or illness, but several students had complained of being unwell and this could have been a psychological effect,” Ponda Sub District Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr M Mohandas told Herald.
This view is now being accepted by the chairman of the school PTA. “We also feel that it could not have been a case of food poisoning, else other students in the school who also ate the midday meals should have encountered similar symptoms. In fact, all 23 students resumed classes on the second day,” said PTA Chairman Franco Rodrigues.
“As others have suspected, I too feel that a fear among students could have led to many students complaining of illness, one after another,” he added.
When asked if the responsibility to prepare midday meals should be given to the PTA or the school management, Rodrigues replied, “If the responsibility is given to the PTA or the school, then the school will need a full-fledged kitchen and adequate staff for the purpose. I think the government should take decision and decide what it best for the students.”
