Parents of infant with malaria turned away

A two-month baby girl, suffering from malaria, was treated at Bombay Hospital after being turned away from Wadia Children’s Hospital owing to the resident doctors’ strike on Saturday. The baby, who was critical on Saturday, is now stable at Bombay Hospital.

A two-month baby girl, suffering from malaria, was treated at Bombay Hospital after being turned away from Wadia Children’s Hospital owing to the resident doctors’ strike on Saturday. The baby, who was critical on Saturday, is now stable at Bombay Hospital.

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The girl, whose parents are based in Navi Mumbai, was rushed to Wadia hospital after her haemoglobin count dipped to 4 (a healthy child’s count should be more than 12).

“The child came to us late on Saturday night. There was the resident doctors’ strike and we had no vacancies in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I called up Dr Mukesh Sanklecha, at Bombay Hospital to ask if he could take this case as the girl was critical,” said a resident doctor at Wadia Hospital requesting anonymity.

“The girl had a grossly enlarged liver and spleen. Her haemoglobin count was also very low. She had to undergo two blood transfusions of 50 ml each. She must have been suffering for a month,” said Dr Sanklecha, consulting pediatrician, Bombay Hospital.