Yet another case of alleged medical negligence of a government hospital in Hyderabad came to light on Saturday, when a new-born baby died at the Government Maternity Hospital in Sultan Bazar.
P Radha, a resident of Gurramguda village in Ranga Reddy district was admitted to the maternity hospital and she delivered a baby boy on Friday.
However, soon after the birth, the baby allegedly developed complications and was sent to the Niloufer hospital, where he died in the early hours of Saturday.
“The infant’s body temperature rose and he was admitted to SNCU (Sick Nursery Care Unit) at 9.30 pm on May 5. His fever was not controlled and in the meanwhile, the boy got fits. So the hospital authorities immediately shifted him to Niloufer hospital at 10.30 pm by ambulance,” deputy superintendent, Dr Dayal Singh told Deccan Chronicle.
The father of the infant reportedly alleged that the baby was administered a polio injection by hospital authorities, after which the baby’s body temperature rose.
Denying the allegations, Dayal Singh told DC, “The main reason for his death is being termed as lack of strong immunity and underweight.”
The death of the infant triggered a protest at the Government Maternity Hospital in Sultan Bazar, with people demanding an immediate resignation of Telangana Health Minister K Laxma Reddy.
Meanwhile, Director of Medical Education Dr. M Ramani told Times of India, “If a child is born with some congenital problems and brought to a government hospital in the last stage, the baby is likely to succumb to the severe health problems within the first 24 hours. The problem that we face here is that in most maternal cases, the women turn up at the last moment. There is no case history maintained whatsoever.”
Last month, three women died in the maternity hospital after they underwent a Cesarean section. It was reported that they all suffered from heavy bleeding, followed which their blood pressure dropped.