Newborn's Head Gets Separated From Body During Delivery, Doctors Leave Torso Inside Mother's Womb

Doctors left the body of a fetus inside the mother’s womb after the baby's head was severed from its torso during delivery. The incident took place in Hyderabad, India on Wednesday.

The woman, identified as 23-year-old Swathi, was admitted at a government hospital in Achampet and was informed that she would have a normal delivery without any complications.

However, the infant’s head got severed during delivery and the rest of the body had retracted into the mother’s womb. The doctors did not inform the family about the incident and referred her to another hospital stating that Swathi’s condition was critical.

“I was given an injection and soon after I was taken into the labor room, the duty doctor Sudha Rani, who was assisting the delivery, called in two other male doctors to assess the situation. After a while, they told my relatives that the situation was complicated and we need to rush to the maternity hospital at Petlaburj. They didn’t tell what the issue was or that the baby’s head was severed,” said Swathi.

Swathi’s kin said they realized that the baby’s body was left inside the womb only after arriving at Petlaburj hospital, where doctors performed a C-section and only found the torso of the baby inside the womb.

According to reports, Swathi’s husband filed a complaint with the police. On Saturday, Dr. Sudha Rani, who was in charge of the delivery, was booked for causing death due to negligence. Tara Singh, superintendent of the hospital, was also booked. Authorities of Achampet hospital stated that the two were suspended following the incident.

Meanwhile, the Nagarkurnool district medical and health officer, Dr. Sudhakar Lal, said it still wasn’t clear if the baby was stillborn or died during delivery due to the head being severed from the body.

“An enquiry committee was set up on Saturday and we have sent the head to a forensic lab to ascertain the cause of death. The ultrasound report of the patient had suggested that the baby has congenital problems because of which she was rushed to the labour room. We are yet to confirm if the baby was still born like the doctors claim or if the head was severed when they tried to pull the infant out of the womb,” said Lal.

The investigation was on-going. Meanwhile, Swathi’s condition stabilized and she was out of danger.