A family from Kashmir capital Srinagar has accused a private hospital of ‘killing’ their baby and has now approached a court against the authorities of the hospital. The family has alleged that their baby died due to medical negligence and has sought de-registration and stern action against the hospital.The hospital in question is ‘Noora Hospital’ located at Umarabad HMT area in the outskirts of Srinagar city while the complainant is Gazala Mumtaz, wife of Altaf Asrar, a resident of Narbal on the outskirts of Srinagar city.The family has approached the State Commission for Consumer Protection against Noora Hospital for shifting her newborn baby to a government hospital without oxygen support, resulting in his death.In her complaint to the court, Gazala Mumtaz has accused the hospital authorities of grave medical negligence, resulting in the death of her baby on November 21. She has submitted that the doctors at Noora Hospital handed over the baby boy to her without pediatric check-up soon after his birth.Altaf Asrar, the father of the newborn baby told news agency CNS that there was no pediatrician available in the hospital while after the three hours of his birth, the family was told that the condition of baby critical and needs to be shifted to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Bemina.“
Even the patient treatment sheet issued by Noora Hospital revealed that the baby had refused to take feed and may be shifted to higher centre for further management,” he said.“At SKIMS, we were told that the baby had respiratory distress as he had been shifted from Noora Hospital to SKIMS without oxygen support.”“Patient received by the postgraduate doctor on duty without oxygen support,” reads a note on the baby’s admission slip issued by SKIMS.The baby was put on the ventilator at SKIMS but after seven days of struggle he passed away, Asrar said. Asrar said his wife was treated by retired professor of gynaecology Dr Saleem Akhtar at Noora Hospital.As per records, the expected date of delivery of the baby was December 2.Asrar alleged that Dr Akhtar insisted on operating upon his wife “almost 20 days before the due date”. Gazala was operated on November 14, giving birth to a healthy and active baby, he said.However, the baby was not taking feed and the family told the hospital authorities to get him examined from a pediatrician.Mumtaz has sought a compensation of Rs 2.1 crore from Noora Hospital for medical negligence, resulting in the death of her baby.Managing director, Noora Hospital, Manzoor Ahmad told CNS that there was no question of medical negligence. “In fact we provided an ambulance to the family but they refused saying they will shift the baby in their private vehicle,” he said. (CNS)