A gynaecologist and two nurses from the Wardhannapet Community Health Centre (CHC) have been booked under IPC Section 304A following the death of a newborn. The baby was born on May 17 but developed health complications, including breathing issues and high blood pressure, leading to its transfer to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital. Despite receiving treatment, the infant did not survive and passed away the next day.
The police registered the case based on a complaint from the child's father, who accused the medical staff of negligence. According to a report, the delivery was conducted by two nurses who followed instructions from the gynaecologist over the phone. The father alleged that the doctor had left the hospital without conducting necessary tests on his wife, leaving the nurses and an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) to handle the delivery.
The father claimed that the nurses forcibly conducted the delivery without showing the baby to its parents immediately after birth. He further stated that the baby was moved to MGM Hospital quickly after delivery due to its critical condition. The incident sparked a protest by the father and other family members in front of the hospital, accusing the staff of negligence. They insisted that their request for a C-section was ignored, and the nurses proceeded with a normal delivery while the doctor provided instructions over the phone.
The incident occurred when the pregnant woman was admitted to Wardhannapet CHC with labour pains on the evening of May 17. Reports indicate that the doctor on duty left the hospital without consulting the patient or conducting any tests. When the woman's condition worsened, the nurses contacted the doctor, who advised them over the phone. The nurses then moved the woman to the labour room and performed the delivery.
After the birth, the mother was shifted to the operation theatre, and the newborn was transferred to MGM Hospital without being shown to the parents. The father accused the hospital staff of being negligent, claiming that their decision to proceed with a normal delivery under the gynaecologist's remote guidance was a direct cause of the newborn's death. He claimed the baby might have survived if a C-section had been performed.
Dr. B. Narsimha Swamy, superintendent of Wardhannapet CHC, denied the father's allegations. He maintained that the delivery was conducted in the presence of the gynaecologist, contradicting the father's claims. Dr. Swamy stated that the baby was shifted to MGM Hospital due to its breathing issues and high blood pressure, where it eventually succumbed while undergoing treatment.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)