The incident was highlighted in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri when a 5-day-old newborn girl was kept under sun exposure by her family for around 30 minutes as per the doctor's advice and it led to her tragic death due to a heart stroke.
A pregnant woman named Rita Devi delivered a baby girl by C-section in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh's Sri Sai hospital then after 5 days on 15th May, the girl's health deteriorated. The girl's family consulted the doctor, who advised to keep the girl in direct sunlight for 30 minutes. According to the doctor's instructions, the girl was kept in the sun at 11 a.m. and then after being removed from the sunlight exposure, the girl died.
After the incident, the doctor who advised ran away, and the hospital staff also forcibly discharged Rita Devi from the medical facility. The incident was sparked across Mainpuri City and the girl's family demanded strict action against the doctor for such carelessness.
While the family is sad after the death of a newborn, questions are being raised about the way private hospitals work. Mainpuri Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. RC Gupta underwent the incident and ordered an investigation against the matter she also claimed "We received information about the death of an infant girl. If the allegations against the accused doctor are true, then it is gross negligence and strict action will be taken against him."
According to medical practitioners, sun exposure is the method to avoid or resist neonatal jaundice.
This should be kept in mind while exposing newborns to sunlight
Always expose the child to morning sunlight. Do not take the child in the sun after 11-12 o'clock.
Cover the baby's face before exposing her or him out to the sun. It will not fall direct exposure to the baby's face and it will not cause any harm.
Make sure the baby is fully fed; if babies do not eat well, they can become dehydrated, causing the bilirubin to increase.
Should consult with the doctor before exposing the newborns to sunlight.
Do not keep the newborn baby in the sun for more than 10-15 minutes.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Tabsum Amjad Baig/SB)
