Probe ordered into newborns’ mix-up
Three nurses were made scapegoat over the incident and were suspended
KOCHI: Ernakulam Government Medical College principal Dr S. Aswini Kumar has ordered a high-level probe into the mix-up at the college hospital which led to two newborns landing in the lap of wrong parents allegedly due to the negligence of those in the gynecology and pediatric departments of the hospital.
The probe committee comprises the medical superintendent, nursing superintendent, gynaecology department head and paediatric department head.
“The committee has been asked to submit the report by Tuesday,” Dr Aswini Kumar told DC on Sunday.
Despite the mix-up, the timely intervention of an alert parent of one of the children averted futher damage. According to hospital sources, one child was a girl while the other was a boy.
“The parent identified by the colour of the child. In fact breast feeding by wrong mother took place in the case of one of the children,” said a source.
Though there was some ruckus over the incident , it was resolved with the children rejoining the real parents.
The paediatric department was involved in two controversial incidents. In one case, children contracted infection while in a second case a child who underwent treatment at the department, died at the Kottayam Medical College later.
Three nurses were made scapegoat over the incident and were suspended. Later it was found that the nurses were innocent and were reinstated.
The current Resident Medical Officer Dr Ganesh Mohan was at the centre of the two controversies.