Four months ago, five-year-old Isakiammal was playing in her neighbour's house in Tamil Nadu’s Tenkasi when she mistakenly consumed bleaching powder, assuming it was some snack. Since then, the girl has been frequenting hospitals, seeking treatment. The five-year-old now weighs just eight kilograms as her food pipe has been severely injured. Isakiammal is currently undergoing treatment at the Institute Of Child Health and Hospital for Children in Chennai’s Egmore. On Saturday, July 24, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian visited Isakiammal and made arrangements for her parents to stay in the house allotted to him at the MLA hostel until their daughter’s treatment in Chennai is complete.

The incident took place in the Tenkasi district. Within a few hours after mistakenly consuming the bleaching powder, Isakiammal suffered severe stomach pain and was unable to eat food or drink water. Soon, her family rushed her to Tenkasi Government Hospital for treatment and later to Nellai Government Hospital. Her health condition improved and she was discharged from the hospital.

However, Isakiammal’s health took a setback again. She could not consume any food and started losing weight. She was once again taken to Tenkasi Government Hospital but her health did not improve. The girl weighed only six kilograms then. Her parents urged the Tamil Nadu government and district administration to help them.

Following this, the state and district officials intervened and she was shifted to the children's hospital in Egmore. On Saturday, after inaugurating a vaccination drive at the hospital and meeting Isakiammal, Ma Subramanian said, “The child was not able to consume solid or liquid food since her food pipe was affected. The hospital has currently made a hole in the stomach and they are feeding her through the pipe. Now, her weight has improved to 8 kg. With continuous efforts of the doctor, we hope she will become all right and return home,” he said.