Jalandhar infant's death: Now, CPS orders probe by new panel

Dissatisfied with the two inquiries into an infant's death at the civil hospital here, chief parliamentary secretary (CPS), health and family welfare, Navjot Kaur Sidhu today ordered a fresh probe by a new committee.

Dissatisfied with the two inquiries into an infant's death at the civil hospital here, chief parliamentary secretary (CPS), health and family welfare, Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Tuesday ordered a fresh probe by a new committee.

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Two inquiry committees - one set up on Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal's orders and the other formed by Jalandhar deputy commissioner Priyank Bharti - have already submitted their reports. Both panels were headed by additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Parneet Bhardwaj.

When asked whether she had gone through the two probe reports, Sidhu said she had come to know about the contents through the media. She said the new panel would cover the issues not touched upon by the other committees. "It needs to be probed whether the nurse (Harjit Oberoi) alone was responsible for the incident or other people were also involved," she said.

During a visit to the hospital on Tuesday, Sidhu told civil surgeon Dr RL Bassan and medical superintendent Dr Iqbal Singh to propose names of doctors from other health institutes who could be included in the panel. The CPS said she would finalise names of the committee members. The panel will be constituted within three days and submit its report within a week of being set up.

Sidhu will supervise the committee, which will have only doctors and no representative from the civil administration.

While checking the file of the deceased infant and her mother Anita Kumari, Sidhu pointed out glaring lapses on the part of the hospital staff. The three-day-old girl had died on July 25 after the paediatric ward staff allegedly kept her out of the photo-therapy unit due to non-payment of fee of Rs 200.

Sidhu, a gynaecologist, said despite knowing that it was a high-risk case the woman had lost a newborn child earlier also and the delivery was premature this time the hospital did not provide services of a gynaecologist or a paediatrician. Rather, it was a staff nurse who performed the delivery.

She found out that the ward staff, instead of promptly admitting the premature baby in the paediatric unit, handed it over initially to the parents. Sidhu said the file did not mention the mandatory hourly notes about the treatment been provided to the child; moreover, there were long gaps in check-ups by the nursing staff or doctors.

Sidhu said it was possible that not putting the severe jaundice-afflicted child in the photo-therapy unit could have led to the death.

When asked about the new committee, health minister Madan Mohan Mittal declined comment. Mittal said he would deal with the matter when it would be put up before him in writing.

When contacted, Dr Karanjit Singh, director, health services and family welfare, said he would hand over the probe report of the government-instituted committee to principal secretary, health and family welfare, Vinni Mahajan on Wednesday.

Mum on JSSK 'awareness'
Sources said both inquiry reports had mentioned that nursing staff in the Jalandhar civil hospital were not aware of provisions of Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), which entitles sick newborn babies to free treatment, but both committees had failed to fix responsibility in this regard.

Even chief parliamentary secretary, health and family welfare, Navjot Kaur Sidhu did not give an explanation for the lack of awareness about JSSK.
As per sources, Sidhu stated that demanding money for any kind of treatment from parents of sick newborn babies in government hospitals was illegal and promised that the health department would find out why the staff was not aware of JSSK.

Refresher courses
Sidhu said there was a dire need for organising refresher courses for hospital staff to train and sensitise them in handling patients in a better way and providing treatment.
She asked medical superintendent Dr Iqbal Singh to send the staff for such refresher courses.