UP child rights panel asks Agra DM to probe death of boy refused treatment by 6 hospitals

UP protection of child rights commission member Sakshi Baijal says he has taken note of ThePrint report on the 12-year-old’s death and asked the Agra DM to submit action taken report after probe.

Child playing during night on the streets *(Representational Image) | Photo: Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Agra: The Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR), taking note of a report in ThePrint, has asked the Agra district magistrate to conduct an inquiry into the death of a 12-year-old child after six hospitals refused him treatment over Covid scare.

In a letter sent to Agra DM Prabhu N. Singh on 1 May, UPSCPCR member Sakshi Baijal has asked him to submit an action taken report after the inquiry.

“Taking note of the incident that was reported in ThePrint, I wrote a letter to the DM and expressed concern over such incidents. I also asked him to conduct an inquiry into the matter immediately and submit a report. I’ve been informed that the SN Medical College then and wrote a letter to the head of the paediatrician department, which is conducting an inquiry into the matter,” Baijal told ThePrint Monday.

On 28 April, ThePrint had reported how a 12-year-old Agra boy, Nihal Singh, died after 16 hours of excruciating stomach pain as six nursing homes and hospitals allegedly refused to treat him, fearing that he might be Covid-19 positive.

When his father finally took him to the government-run S.N. Medical College, they were told it was meant for Covid patients only and he would be treated in the same ward as these patients.

Such incidents should not be repeated: UPSCPCR letter

Taking note of the incident under the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act 2005, Baijal’s letter said, the commission expressed concern over the health facilities and overall health of children in Agra.

“The most serious aspect of this entire episode is the fact that one of the major hospitals of Uttar Pradesh SN Medical college and hospital also did not provide medical treatment to 12-year-old Nihal Singh. Even before this many such negligence have been reported from SN Medical college which have been highlighted by the Commission but the district admin has not taken any action”.

The letter also said such incidents should not be repeated and a report of the inquiry should be submitted to the commission.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had also issued a notice to the Agra district administration acting on a complaint filed over the death of two children and a woman delivering stillborn, over allegations of being denied treatment by several hospitals, including the government ones. The commission has sought an action taken report from the DM in three days.

“We had served a notice to the Agra DM after we received a complaint regarding the death of children in Agra due to not getting timely medical treatment in government hospitals. Various media reports have reported the matter including the death of a 12-year-old child who was not attended in private and government hospital and was sent home,” said a senior NCPCR official.

“They have been asked to submit a reply in the matter on an urgent basis and take immediate disciplinary action for negligence of hospital staff and give instructions for providing timely medical assistance in such emergency cases during lockdown period.”