Staff Reporter
NAMSAI, Apr 28: A newborn baby boy died due to alleged negligence by the doctor and staff of the Namsai community health centre (CHC) on the morning of 27 April.
According to reports, one Nang Alenthi Mokkron (21) was admitted to the CHC on 26 April, and was in a stable condition between 6.30 and 8 pm.
At around 3.30 am, she started having labour pains, but the grandfather and father of the dead baby claimed that all the medical staffers of the health centre were absent and the progress of labour and delivery of the baby could not be ascertained.
With no medical assistance at hand, the baby remained stuck for nearly two hours, before the emergency medical officer-in-charge arrived.
The baby was delivered lifeless at around 6.45 am.
While the baby did not make it, the mother managed to survive the ordeal.
The family also claimed that no proper health care or check-up was provided prior to the labour and delivery of the baby.
The grandfather of the infant, Chow Kungchey Mokkron, also wrote to the district medical officer, alleging that the carelessness of the doctors and nurses of the CHC caused the death of his grandson.
“I don’t know who was supposed to be on emergency duty, but the EMO-in-charge came after nearly two hours and took out the baby. Our daughter-in-law would also have not survived if the baby was not taken out within that time. No other family should have to go through the ordeal we went through. The hospital’s negligence can be termed murder,” said the grandfather of the baby, and sought strict action against those responsible.
Meanwhile, members of the North East Human Rights Organisation (NEHRO), the All Namsai Area Youth Association (ANAYA) and the All Tai Khampti-Singpho Students’ Union (ATKSSU) along with the father of the infant visited the CHC on 28 April and interacted with the medical superintendent.
The organisations found that the there were no records of monitoring of the mother and child, and no partograph (chronological check-up records during labour) were maintained.
The last check-up had been done by a nurse at around 8 pm, they found.
According to the NEHRO, the medical superintendent accepted that it was an avoidable error on the part of the duty officer, who failed to maintain the partograph of the pregnant woman admitted in the CHC.
The NEHRO claimed that the EMO-in-charge also admitted that he was busy somewhere outside the hospital during his duty hours and could not attend to the patient on time.
Reportedly, the aggrieved family was also not provided with medical reports at the time of discharge from the CHC.
The NEHRO, the ANAYA and the ATKSSU have written to the chief secretary, demanding a magisterial inquiry headed by either the health commissioner or the health secretary, with members from the state NEHRO and ANAYA.
They have demanded that the findings be made public within 10 days.
They have also demanded immediate suspension of the medical superintendent, the EMO in-charge on 26 April, and the nurse on duty, so that a fair inquiry may take place.
