The district magistrate of Prayagraj, Bhanu Chandra Goswami, has initiated an investigation into the death of a three-year-old, allegedly because of medical negligence arising from her family’s inability to pay for her treatment, although there is conflicting and inadequate information about the case.
The district’s chief medical officer told ANI that a post-mortem examination has been conducted and the report will be handed over to the DM. The DM said a probe was ordered on the basis of a tweet that the girl died after being discharged after surgery with “an open abdomen”. He added that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also asked for a report and that a FIR be filed against the hospital.
Shyamkant, the circle officer (Chail) in Kaushambi, said that an FIR had been registered against a doctor of the private hospital on Saturday on the basis of the family’s complaint received on Friday.
NCPCR has also asked for adequate compensation to the family of the deceased child.
According to the DM, the girl’s family claimed that she was throw out of the hospital, United Medicity, near Jhalwa in Prayagraj without even having her stitches closed properly after the family couldn’t arrange for the money in time.
{{/usCountry}}According to the DM, the girl’s family claimed that she was throw out of the hospital, United Medicity, near Jhalwa in Prayagraj without even having her stitches closed properly after the family couldn’t arrange for the money in time.
{{/usCountry}}“On the 13th day (after admission), the hospital evicted the girl and all of us from the hospital even without properly stitching her open abdomen region,” said an uncle of the girl.
Satpal Gulati, the hospital’s vice chairperson denied the charge, according to ANI. He claimed the girl was treated for free, operated upon, and, that when her condition didn’t improve, the family was asked to take her to the Motilal Nehru Medical College hospital. The family then took her away, he said. It wasn’t immediately clear what the girl was being treated for. It is also not clear when the family took her away from United Medicity. It emerges that the family did go to the Motilal Nehru Medical College hospital.
Dr Mukesh Veer Singh, the head of the department of paediatrics at Children Hospital (under SRN Hospital of MLN Medical College), said: “The child was admitted at the hospital on March 3 and remained under our supervision till the evening of March 4 when the girl’s father left the hospital along with the kid without informing us.” The girl is believed to have died late on March 4.
(With agency inputs)