The Hindu : New Delhi News : DMC takes action against two doctors for negligence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 01, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

DMC takes action against two doctors for negligence

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

A premature newborn was wrongly declared as stillborn

NEW DELHI: Two years after a premature newborn was wrongly declared as stillborn at Safdarjung Hospital here, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has asked that the name of the junior resident doctor involved in the case be removed from the State Medical Register for a month -- preventing him from practicing medicine for that period -- and has asked the Medical Council of India (MCI) to take appropriate action against the senior resident who was also involved in the case.

Enquiry committee

Delhi Medical Council secretary Girish Tyagi said: “After having looked into all aspects of the case and also the report of the enquiry committee constituted by Safdarjung Hospital we have concluded that negligence and subsequent manipulation of medical records had occurred at the hospital in this case. We have also advised that the hospital follow a standardised protocol in declaring any newborn dead.”

“In this case a gynaecologist had declared the child as stillborn; this should be done by a paediatrician. Also medical records of the case were tampered with, which is not acceptable. We have conveyed our decision to the hospital authorities and also requested the MCI to take appropriate action against the senior resident who is not registered with the Delhi Medical Council,” said Dr. Tyagi.

“The senior resident,” he added, “did not call the paediatrician for examining the baby and herself declared the baby as stillborn. She maintained that at the time of the incident there was no such existing protocol in the hospital requiring a paediatrician to declare a stillbirth. The registration of the junior resident in the case has been cancelled for a month which does not allow him to practise for the period. He also admitted to making alteration/cuttings in the medical records pertaining to the case.”

The Council claims to have perused the reference from the police, written statement of senior hospital staff and the enquiry report of the hospital before deciding on the case.

Complaints of bleeding

Giving details of the case, Dr. Tygai said: “As per the information given to us, the patient Bharti was admitted to the hospital on April 28, 2006, with complaints of bleeding. She had pregnancy of 26 weeks and was anaemic. The woman went into labour on May 5 and delivered a premature male baby weighing 750 grams. The baby was declared stillborn and handed to the father Rakesh Kumar Babbar – also the complainant in the case. The child was taken to the cremation ground at around 6-20 a.m. on May 5 but was found alive. A shocked father rushed the child back to be admitted to hospital. However, the child died on May 13.”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi