Kochi: A 23-day-old newborn died in a private hospital in the city after the infant was referred from Ernakulam government general hospital, where she was born. The infant was identified as having sepsis immediately after her birth, which happened in an NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) accredited government hospital.
She was born on November 24 at the General hospital. After the initial antibiotic treatment for sepsis, she was discharged. But, last Thursday, the newborn was brought to the hospital with high fever and a thickening in the area of the left breast.
However, the relatives of the baby alleged that the hospital authorities failed in providing any expert medical care and after being advised ultrasound and MRI scans, the baby was referred to a private hospital. The doctors at the private hospital advised the same investigations and confirmed that the baby had Hemopneumothorax.
Poornima Narayan, a voluntary public health scientist, who is close to the infant’s family and who has been working in the fishermen community in the coastal areas for the last three years, said that despite being an NABH accredited hospital with advanced treatment facilities, the hospital authorities failed to provide proper medical care to the baby.
“Despite being diagnosed with sepsis, why was the baby discharged 12 days after her birth, that too in a coastal village where there is a high chance for infection. And when the baby was brought to the hospital within a week, the parents had to wait for five hours. The hospital has violated the protocol to be followed by NABH accredited hospitals,” she said. A relative of the baby said that they would submit a complaint to the authorities against the negligence of the hospital.
