Three newborns die at Delhi hospital, two senior docs suspended

The medical superintendent and the gynaecology doctor incharge of the unit handling the case were suspended. One of the mother had to have a c-section delivery, but it wasn’t done and the junior doctors had to handle the case late at night.

Three newborns died within hours on Thursday early morning at North Delhi’s Hindu Rao Hospital, the biggest hospital run by the municipal corporations. The families had alleged that the children died due to the negligence of the doctors.

Three newborns died within hours at Hindu Rao hospital early Thursday morning. The relatives have alleged negligence. (Shutterstock)

The commissioner took “serious note” of it, according to an official, and suspended the medical superintendent and a doctor from gynaecology department, who was heading the unit that was looking after the children. A committee has been constituted to look into whether there was any negligence.

“Further action will be taken based on the committee report,” said a senior municipal health official.

It is one of the first times when senior officials have been suspended for negligence, according to the official.

“One of the three babies had died inside the uterus of the mother, it was a stillbirth and the doctors couldn’t have done anything. The second baby was brought dead from another hospital,” the official said.

However, in the case of the third baby, prima facie the doctor could have been negligent.

“The mother of the third baby had already had two and had conceived using intra-uterine insemination. It was a precious baby. Usually, in such cases, the doctors perform a caesarean section in order to avoid any adverse happening. In this case, however, a c-section was not performed and the junior doctors had to handle the case at night, when there was no one for supervision,” according to the official.