Uttar Pradesh: Government doctor suspended after infant dies of alleged negligence in Bareilly

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday ordered the suspension of a doctor and departmental proceedings against another after a four-day-old child died of alleged medical negligence at the Maharana Pratap District Hospital in Bareilly, PTI reported.

Kamlendra Swaroop Gupta, who is the chief medical superintendent of the men’s wing of the government hospital, was suspended for negligence, and department proceedings were initiated against Alka Sharma, chief medical superintendent of the women’s wing, an official statement said.

“A child was brought to the men’s hospital in a critical condition, but despite a sufficient number of paediatricians being on duty, the family was sent to the women’s hospital,” a statement issued by Adityanath’s office said, according to NDTV. “Then the chief medical superintendent of the women’s hospital referred the child back to the men’s hospital.”

The child’s family alleged that she died after being shuttled from one wing of the hospital to another. The girl, who was born at a private hospital on June 15, was brought to the government hospital on Wednesday after she suffered breathing difficulties.

According to NDTV, the doctor on duty at the men’s wing of the hospital refused to examine the child and referred her to the women’s wing. The girl’s parents took her to the women’s section where they were told that the section was short of beds. The child was then referred back to the men’s wing.

“We were made to run around for over three hours, because they simply refused to admit her,” Kusma Devi, the girl’s grandmother, said. “Finally, we decided to take her back home, but she died on the hospital stairs.” Instructions directing the child’s parents to take her from one wing of the hospital to another wing have been recorded in the medical slip. Scroll.in has not independently verified the medical slip.

An altercation broke out between doctors of the two sections soon after. Videos shot by local residents showed Gupta and Sharma trading accusations in the wake of the child’s death and both refused to take responsibility for the death.