In a shocking case of medical negligence, a baby—one of a pair of twins born on Thursday morning—was declared dead by a Delhi hospital, only to be found to be alive later. The babies were handed over to the parents in polythene bags. The other baby was still-born, according to the hospital.
Soon after the incident, the family approached the police and lodged a complaint. "Yesterday, we received a call at Shalimar Bagh Police Station. The callers said one Varsha, wife of Ashish, was referred to the Max Hospital from a nursing home in Paschim Vihar on account of possibility of premature delivery.
"She was admitted there on November 28. The doctors had told the family that she was serious and the chances of survival of the twins were slim, as she was six months pregnant," police said.
Varsha had given birth to a boy and a girl. The family was later informed that the twins were stillborn and handed over to the family, they said.
The family was handed the babies in a polythene bag and they were on way to a crematorium to perform their last rites, when the father saw the boy moving.
"We tore the packet, there were 2-3 clothes and polythene bags. The kid was still breathing. We rushed the baby to a nearby nursing home in Pitampura," the father said.
Max Hospital in a statement said, "It has been brought to our attention that a premature (22 weeks), newborn baby who is reported to be on life support at a nursing home was unfortunately handed over without any sign of life by Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh.
The statement further adds, "We are shaken and concerned at this rare incident. We have initiated a detailed enquiry, pending which, the concerned doctor has been asked to proceed on leave immediately. We are in constant touch with the parents and are providing all the needed support.”
The case has come to light a little over a week after Gurgaon's Fortis hospital charged a whopping Rs 16 lakhs for a seven-year-old girl who had dengue. The girl died, and the parents have alleged that she was kept on ventilator despite no signs of life.
In June this year, a similar case of a "dead" newborn found alive later had occurred at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital.
(With inputs from PTI)
