The Hindu : New Delhi News : Two tragic deaths in two incubators

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Thursday, Mar 13, 2008
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New Delhi

Two tragic deaths in two incubators

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: In a bizarre turn of events, two newborn children have had a tragic end during the past 24 hours – one of them in Delhi and the other in Ahmedabad.

In Delhi, a five-day-old infant died when a fire broke out in an “infant warmer” at a government hospital in Pitampura on Wednesday. The fire was apparently triggered by an electric short-circuit.

According to the police, the tragic incident took place around 2-30 a.m. at Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital where the premature baby girl was burnt to death even before anyone could come to her rescue. The girl was born on March 7 and kept inside the warmer after doctors diagnosed her with jaundice.

Blaming the hospital authorities for the death, the girl’s mother Kamlesh said: “I woke up early in the morning hearing the baby cry and raised an alarm suspecting that something was amiss. But the hospital staff was asleep and my daughter was burnt before anyone could come to her rescue. Her life could have been saved had the staff reacted in time. She died because of their carelessness.”

Kamlesh was recuperating in the adjoining maternity ward of the hospital at the time.

The police have registered a case of causing death due to negligence and detained some employees of the hospital for questioning. “We have registered a case and initiated a probe into the incident. It is to be investigated whether the device was subjected to regular maintenance or not,” said a senior police officer.

Meanwhile, the hospital authorities have suspended paediatrician Naresh along with staff nurses Kanta and Renu who were on duty at the time. “We took immediate action against the staff on duty and have suspended a doctor and two nurses. A four-member committee has also been constituted to look into the incident,” said the hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Ashok Dang.

Reacting to the charges of the victim’s family, Dr. Dang said: “I learnt about the allegations through the media and the truth can be established only after the committee submits its report. The report is expected in three days but it can be delayed as some of our staff members have been detained by the police.” The girl’s family lives in Shakurpur and her father Om Prakash is a scrap dealer. The baby was the couple’s third child.

Special Correspondent reports from Ahmedabad:

A newborn from a poor Delhi family died due to an electric short-circuit in an incubator at a hospital run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on Tuesday night. Hospital sources said the baby was born two months prematurely due to which he had to be kept in the incubator but the hospital authorities could not figure out how he got electrocuted in the incubator.