Hospital's chief medical officer has been sacked where the 10-month-old boy died on Tuesday.
At the end of a day of outrage from the opposition and civil society, the Uttar Pradesh government took action against the personnel at a hospital in Bahraich where a child died after every employee allegedly demanded a bribe -- including one who was to administer a crucial injection.
Following orders from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the hospital's chief medical officer has been sacked, and the staff in the children's ward, where the 10-month-old boy died on Tuesday morning, have been suspended. The man who allegedly asked for a bribe before administering the injection has been arrested.
After the child died on Tuesday, his parents had alleged that the cause was a delayed injection, since they could not pay amount the hospital employee demanded to fetch it.
The couple, who are not well to do, said they had been paying bribes every step of the way at the hospital - a nurse to get the documents in order and a sweeper to place the child on the allotted bed.
"Every staff member wanted a bribe," said the child's father Shiv Dutt, who works as a labourer.
Then a medical assistant demanded a bribe to fetch the free injection the child needed. "I asked him to give me some time...I promised to give him whatever amount he asked for," said Sumita.
After an argument, the assistant did fetch the injection, but it was too late to save the child, the parents said.
The hospital had denied any wrongdoing, claiming there was no delay in administering the injection.
Media reports of the incident created outrage, with the Congress and the BSP strongly criticizing the government in the poll-bound state. The National Human Rights Commission also issued a notice to the government.
"I have asked for a report within 24 hours," said the state's health minister SP Yadav, declaring he would not spare anyone if the reports were found to be true. "It is unfortunate that the good work of this government is being sullied by a few people within the system," he added.