Jajpur: The death of a one-year-old boy allegedly due to negligence and procedural delays led to tension at a government hospital in Odisha’s Jajpur district Monday, police said.
It is alleged that the ailing boy’s parents had to take the child from one department to another and crucial time was wasted, leading to his death.
The attending doctor, however, said the baby was unresponsive to treatment from the very beginning.
After his death, the parents and relatives of the child and the employees of Jajpur district headquarters hospital (DHH) here were engaged in a heated altercation, prompting the police to intervene.
According to reports, the child suffering from high fever was brought to the casualty department of the hospital Monday from Kacherigaon village under Jajpur Sadar police station limits.
“I brought my ailing child to the doctor’s cabin, but the attendant asked me to take him to another department. Upon reaching there, I found the doctor was absent and the staff on duty there asked me to take him back to the same cabin. This continued, and we lost an hour,” alleged Narayan Mallick, the child’s father.
He also claimed that he was not allowed to take his child to a private hospital unless he signed some papers.
The child was eventually declared dead by the attending doctor, Manoj Senapati, triggering emotional outbursts from the family, relatives and bystanders.
A scuffle reportedly ensued when the hospital staff asked the family to complete paperwork before handing over the body, which the parents refused to do, demanding that their son be returned without delay.
Senapati said that the child was already unresponsive when brought in.
He added that he was called by the casualty department to check the child and attempt to resuscitate him, but it was too late since he was dead on arrival.
“There were no vital signs when we examined the baby. As per protocol, we required the guardian’s signature to officially release the body,” Senapati said.
Following the incident, Jajpur police reached the hospital and brought the situation under control.
Though no formal complaint was registered, a senior police official said the matter is being looked into.
PTI
