Warangal: Baby showed signs of life, says father

Warangal: A four-day-old baby, who was declared dead on Sunday by a doctor at MGM hospital, was brought back from the cremation ground after the parents of the baby said that they observed signs of life in the body.

“After we brought the baby back from the cremation grounds, the doctor checked the ECG and it showed a curve. Then they started giving treatment again but eventually, they declared the baby dead again. This is pure negligence by doctors. How can they give a death certificate without properly checking? This shows how negligent doctors are,” said the father of the baby, Mr Srinivas.

Dr Boja, head of paediatrics at MGM, said the movements in the baby’s body were caused by muscle twitching which sometimes happens in a dead person’s body.

“There was no negligence. Since the baby was born with several complications, chance of survival was very low. On Sunday, there were no heart sounds and the ECG was flat. So the doctor declared the baby dead. Due to muscle twitching, the baby was mistaken to be alive and brought back. We tried to check the heart-beat again by giving oxygen and checked the ECG but it was flat. So she was declared dead again,” Dr Boja said.

He said it was not the ECG machine but a pulse meter that had shown the curve alleged by Mr Srinivas. “The meter showed a curve because of oxygen saturation in the body. The machine shows a curve even when it is not in contact with anyone. It will show a curve even with 20 per cent oxygen in the air,” he said.