Kota (Rajasthan), Jul 11 (PTI) An infant born at a government sub-hospital in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district died a few hours after birth as his condition deteriorated during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, with the family alleging that the doctor on duty refused to attend to the newborn, officials said.
Following the incident, the doctor and a nursing staffer on duty were placed under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) on Friday.
Mahendra Singh, a resident of Chokdi village under the Dug police station area in Jhalawar, admitted his wife Bhawana Kanwar (30), who was in labour, to the sub-district hospital in Dug around 9 pm on Thursday. She delivered a baby boy around 10 pm, officials said.
At around 3 am on Friday, the baby began crying loudly, after which family members attending to the woman alerted the on-duty nursing staffer, Prashant Mehar. However, instead of calling the doctor, Mehar asked the family to go to the doctor’s residence.
When the family reached the residence of paediatrician Dr Mukesh Bhardwaj, he allegedly did not respond despite repeated knocking, forcing them to return to the hospital.
By the time Dr Bhardwaj reported for duty at 8 am and examined the infant, the baby had died, officials said.
Taking serious note of the family’s allegations, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Jhalawar, Dr Sazid Khan said APO orders were immediately issued for Dr Bhardwaj and nursing staffer Mehar. He added that a three-member committee has been constituted to probe the matter. PTI COR HIG
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