E-Paper
Infant death: Probe accuses nurses of callousness
A committee appointed to probe the death of a new-born girl, who was allegedly denied treatment at a Jalandhar hospital last week, has indicted the nursing staff for callousness.
A committee appointed to probe the death of a new-born girl, who was allegedly denied treatment at a Jalandhar hospital last week, has indicted the nursing staff for callousness.
The report was submitted to Dr Karanjit Singh, Punjab’s director of health services, on Monday.
The three-day-old baby, who was suffering from jaundice, was removed from the civil hospital’s photo-therapy unit after her father had failed to pay a fee of Rs 200. Within a few hours, she had died.
The nursing staff’s demand for the money was illegal and unjustified, concluded the five-member committee headed by additional deputy commissioner Parneet Bhardwaj.
The report also pointed out that staff nurse Harjit Oberoi, who has already been suspended for insisting on the fee, was not on duty on July 25, the day the baby died.
“The report mentions that the staff claimed they were unaware of the central government’s Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, which entitles babies to free treatment for 30 days after birth,” an official said.
