Kolkata:
The body of a baby who died within hours of being born at a hospital in Murshidabad has been exhumed.
There has been considerable controversy surrounding his delivery and death. His mother, Shikha Bibi, was allegedly swabbed down with acid instead of antiseptic after she delivered. She has huge burns on her legs and thighs.
An inquiry into the incident has been ordered by the Lalbagh hospital, which is run by the government. But a medical board report seems to absolve the hospital, suggesting that the burns could be the result of a chemical or allergic reaction. The report recommends further forensic tests.
But Shikha Bibi has a tougher and bigger battle to fight.
After she delivered, Shikha Bibi says she was told that her son was sick but alive. Later, the doctors told her family that the baby was stillborn. Shikha Bibi alleges that her baby died of medical negligence. A police case filed by her family has led to her son's body being exhumed for tests. "They swabbed her with acid. She was shouting. The baby was delivered at that moment and died because of the acid," charges a relative, Sagira Bibi.
A senior official at the hospital, Dr Saswati Nagi, says that it was not a nurse but an untrained helper or ayah who used acid on Shikha. In turn, the hospital has filed a police case against this woman. But doctors have no explanation for why she was allowed to enter the labour room and help with the delivery.
There has been considerable controversy surrounding his delivery and death. His mother, Shikha Bibi, was allegedly swabbed down with acid instead of antiseptic after she delivered. She has huge burns on her legs and thighs.
An inquiry into the incident has been ordered by the Lalbagh hospital, which is run by the government. But a medical board report seems to absolve the hospital, suggesting that the burns could be the result of a chemical or allergic reaction. The report recommends further forensic tests.
But Shikha Bibi has a tougher and bigger battle to fight.
After she delivered, Shikha Bibi says she was told that her son was sick but alive. Later, the doctors told her family that the baby was stillborn. Shikha Bibi alleges that her baby died of medical negligence. A police case filed by her family has led to her son's body being exhumed for tests. "They swabbed her with acid. She was shouting. The baby was delivered at that moment and died because of the acid," charges a relative, Sagira Bibi.
A senior official at the hospital, Dr Saswati Nagi, says that it was not a nurse but an untrained helper or ayah who used acid on Shikha. In turn, the hospital has filed a police case against this woman. But doctors have no explanation for why she was allowed to enter the labour room and help with the delivery.
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