Newborn's Body Exhumed After Negligence Case Filed Against Doctors For Mother, Baby’s Death

Three doctors in India were booked Monday for negligence following the death of a woman and her newborn baby during childbirth.

The 25-year-old woman was admitted to hospital on June 29 in the southern state of Kerala, and went into labor Saturday night.

The family was told Sunday morning the newborn baby died during childbirth. The body was reportedly buried without informing the family, Onmanorama reported.

The mother died Monday. Following the deaths, the relatives staged a protest at the hospital and filed a complaint, Onmanorama reported. The relatives demanded the arrest of the doctors allegedly responsible for the deaths.

An autopsy report revealed the newborn baby died after the umbilical cord became entangled around the neck. The family said this indicated medical negligence led to the death of the baby.

The Kerala State Youth Commission has registered a case, and asked the district police chief to submit a report within a week.

Local media reported the dead body of the newborn, which was buried by the hospital staff, was exhumed and sent for autopsy. It was also found the baby was taken out using the vacuum extraction method.

The remains of the mother were moved to the District Hospital, authorities said. The family alleged the woman’s uterus was removed without the consent of her relatives. The next-of-kin said the doctors approached for consent only after the procedure, The Hindu reported.

Last month, a woman in Pakistan's Sindh region had to undergo multiple procedures following a breech birth, during which the child's head was reportedly severed from the torso. The staff at the hospital severed the newborn baby's head after it got stuck in the mother's womb. The woman then underwent a procedure to deliver the torso of the baby girl. She was later moved to another hospital to remove the baby’s head from her abdomen. A three-member committee was created to inquire into the mishandling of the case. The committee would look into the absence of a gynecologist and female staffers at the rural health center in Chhachhro.