SHILLONG, APRIL 03: An unfortunate death of a newly-born baby has snowballed into a controversy with the mother and her family on the one hand accusing the Ganesh Das Hospital authorities of negligence and the medical fraternity, in turn, threatening to file a defamation case against her.
Doctors in the Health & Family Welfare department said on Wednesday that Mondabeka Marngar of Myriaw village in the West Khasi hills district was admitted to the hospital for delivery on March 16, and in the evening of March 17 was operated upon after she complained of severe labour pain following which she delivered a baby girl.
However, the baby had been suffering from omphalocele, which is also called congenital anomaly, when in her mother’s womb. Doctors, on condition of anonymity, said the condition leads to anomaly in the development of the body resulting in the absence of skin formation in parts of the stomach and chest. “The fact that the baby was suffering congenital anomaly was found out only after the delivery,” the doctors said, adding that the hospital staff immediately informed the family members of Marngar, including her father, about the condition of the baby and advised them to shift her to the Nazareth Hospital for further treatment.
However, Marngar, who was released from the hospital after her recovery on March 21, lodged an first information report (FIR) against the Ganesh Das Hospital authorities at the Shillong Sadar Police Station on March 25, stating that her baby died due to gross negligence on the part of the hospital staff during operation which was borne out by the fact some organs of the baby were sticking out.
Acting on the complaint, a police team from Shillong went to Myriaw village and exhumed the body of the baby. A post-mortem was subsequently conducted by the doctor from Kynshu PHC in the presence of extra assistant commissioner of Mairang civil sub-division. The postmortem report is awaited.
The medical fraternity, however, have taken umbrage to the charges of negligence labeled against the doctors and staff of the hospital. “The allegations are totally baseless and misleading. This is just to malign the image of the Ganesh Das Hospital and its doctors and staff, who had extended all necessary help to Mandabeka during delivery,” said the doctors.
Taking serious note of the allegation labeled against the medical fraternity, the Meghalaya Medical Service Association(MMSA) held an emergent meeting to discuss on the issue, following it unanimously decided to file a defamation case against Mondabeka. “We are preparing to serve a legal notice on Mondabeka within few days,” a source in MMSA said.(By Our Reporter)
It was plain gross negligence….why are the doctors scared to give the names of the doctors who operated on the girl. Why did such a rare birth which is almost 1 in 4000 cases not referred to a medical team of the State and instead took 14 hours to shift the child to Nazareth. Why did the Administrator of Nazareth speak so arrogantly to NGO’s. Why is everything so hushed up? are they playing with lives of children?