5-Day-Old Baby Dies After Being Admitted To Hospital, Family Alleges Negligence

A 5-day-old baby in India died after no doctor was allegedly available to treat the child, who was reportedly suffering from hypoglycemia.

The family of the baby blamed the hospital for the death of the infant, and claimed no doctor was present at Government Multi Speciality Hospital (GMSH) in the northern city of Chandigarh to treat the sick child.

The child's mother had given birth to two children -- a boy and a girl -- at the hospital on Nov. 14. The kids were underweight, due to which they were admitted to the postnatal ward of the hospital. The mother claimed the boy was suffering from hypoglycemia since the time of birth and, on Friday, his health worsened, India Today reported.

"We asked the nurses to call the doctor immediately but no doctor was available at that time. The nurse made several calls to the doctor but in vain. My child died due to the negligence of the staff," the complainant said, according to The Hindustan Times.

The family filed a complaint to the director health services (DHS) of Chandigarh, and urged them to take necessary action against the concerned doctor missing from the duty. DHS Dr. Suman Singh launched an inquiry into the incident after the complaint was filed, and asked the medical superintendent to submit a report at the earliest.

Dr V.K. Nagpal, medical superintendent of the facility, said strict action will be taken against those found guilty.

“We have received the complaint and have started investigating the matter. The hospital always makes duty rosters of the doctors and it can never happen that a doctor misses the duty. However, we will check as to why the doctor was not available when the patient needed the consultation. The inquiry report will be submitted to the DHS on Monday and strict action will be taken against the doctor, if found guilty," he said.

In August, a newborn baby kept on a warmer in a hospital charred to death. The family of the infant alleged the hospital staff of negligence and murder. The incident took place in Kaushumbi, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The family claimed the hospital staff was busy on their cellphones, while the baby boy was kept on the warmer. They noticed only after smoke emanated from the machine. The child was burned on the chest, back and abdomen.