Two doctors in Govandi booked over newborn’s death

Two doctors, a father-son duo, who are attached to a private hospital in Govandi, have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a newborn died withing hours allegedly due to their negligence

Two doctors, a father-son duo, who are attached to a private hospital in Govandi, have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a newborn died withing hours allegedly due to their negligence. While a search is on for the son, the hospital’s manager and a nurse have been arrested.

Two doctors in Govandi booked over newborn’s death

According to the police, Dr Zakir Ali Khan, who holds a BUMS (Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery) degree, has been running RN Memorial hospital at Shivaji Nagar. It is neither registered nor does it have a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

On Sunday, Rabiya Shaikh, wife of Sohail Shahzad Hussain, went into labour. Sohail took her to the hospital around 8 pm where Dr Zakir’s son Dr Mehtab and nurse, Soliya Raju Khan, examined her and sent her to Apple Diagnostic for a sonography. Around 11.30 pm, she was brought back to the hospital, Sohail said in his complaint.

As per Dr Mehtab’s instructions, Soliya administered an injection to her and around 3 am, she gave birth to a girl. The baby cried initially but a few hours later stopped responding.

As the hospital did not have an ambulance and oxygen support, the complainant shifted his daughter in an autorickshaw to another hospital in Govandi. But since that hospital too did not have the NICU, the baby was taken to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar where she was declared dead before admission, senior inspector Arjun Rajane of Shivaji Nagar police station said.

Soliya, 28, who had only completed her class X, was not qualified to help Rabiya deliver a baby, Rajane said, adding there was also no doctor present at that time. Altaf Khan, 22, who works as the manager, is a third-year BAMS student.

When a police team went to arrest Mehtab, who has a BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) degree, he fled through the hospital’s back door. Dr Zakir is undergoing treatment for his heart ailment in Lucknow. A case has been registered against the four under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Sohail, 28, a driver from Nagpur had married Rabiya last December. She has been staying at her parent’s house in Govandi since July. She regularly visited RN Memorial hospital for routine check-up, Sohail said.