Following outrage over death of a new born at GB Pant Hospital here due to alleged negligence of staff, an inquiry committee has been constituted to probe the incident.
Aijaz Ahmed Mir, father of the newborn girl said his daughter died on February 3 after receiving burn injuries caused by “some heating device”. “On day-one of the admission my baby was doing fine and was admitted in ward of the hospital. During the night a heating device was kept too close to the baby that resulted in serious burns to her arm and leg,”
Mir said thereafter his daughter’s condition deteriorated due to “visible burns”. “It forced the authorities at the hospital to shift my daughter to ICU (neonatal intensive care unit),” he said.
Mir said the baby was referred to GB Pant Hospital from Noora Hospital here. “That time I was told by doctors there that she had just low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and a little difficulty in breathing,” said Mir.
Another family member said the hospital authorities were trying to project the case in a way “as if we are demanding inquiry as to whether a blower was taken inside the ward. That is not our case. Our case simply is why the child suffered burn injuries”.
Medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital, Dr Kanwaljeet Singh, denied allegations leveled by the family. He said the newborn was referred to the hospital with peripheral cyanosis, a condition where the limbs turn dark due to lack of oxygen.
“It (the condition of the newborn) is recorded in the referral that we received from Noora Hospital,” he said.
“What appear to be burns in limbs are DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation), known to cause discoloration of limbs. Our wards and NICU are air-conditioned to maintain optimum temperature. We do not use any heating devices to keep babies warm,” Dr Singh said.
Following outcry over the death and after pictures of the newborn went viral on social media, the hospital constituted a five member inquiry committee headed by Dr Parvez Ahmed to probe the allegations.
“We will take out CCTV footage to see if the baby had suffered any burns at the hospital ward (due to use of any heating device),” Dr Singh said. The committee has been asked to submit its report in two days. The family has demanded that the committee should take their account as well before submitting the report.
A complaint was also lodged with Grievance Cell of Governor by the family over the incident following which Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar submitted a detailed report to divisional commissioner Kashmir.
According to the report the child had pre-natal asphyxia, a medical condition resulting from “deprivation of oxygen to newborns that lasts long enough during birth process to cause physical harm, usually to the brain”, with “Meconium Stained Ammionitc Fluid”…with DIC.
The report signed by Principal GMC Prof Samia Rashid said that the newborn was in “shock”, had “petechial hemorrhage”. A doctor at GB Pant Hospital described petechial hemorrhage as a condition during which little red spots develop on body indicating “asphyxia caused by some external means of obstructing the airways”.
The report has blamed the hospital from where the newborn was referred for “not following protocol for the referral”. “Medical superintendent was not informed for arranging necessary ventilator support for the baby and neither any doctor was accompanying the baby from Noora Hospital,” the report reads.
Meanwhile former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti while condemning the “criminal negligence” hoped that an “exemplary punishment was given to those responsible for the incident”.
“No words are enough to condemn the criminal negligence at GB Panth hospital, where a new born baby was allegedly burnt to death . Hope an exemplary punishment is given to the culprits responsible for this horrific incident so that no other child meets this kind of fate,” Mehbooba tweeted.