Shocking! Newborn dies after two Delhi govt hospitals refuse treatment

New Delhi In a shocking incident of insensitivity a dayold baby born prematurely with respiratory complications died in his parents arms after two leading governmentrun hospitals refused treatment while a third made them waitThe baby was born in a private hospital in Budh Vihar area in North West Delhi on Sunday noon and doctors had told the parents he has respiratory problems and needs to be kept on ventilator for two days which would cost around Rs 20000As the babys father Dheeraj Kumar a labourer expressed inability to afford the expenses he was told to shift the newborn to a government hospitalYesterday the baby was first taken to the Kalavati Saran Childrens hospital where doctors told the parents that there was no bed or ventilator available and he cannot be admitttedThe babys relatives said the doctors at the emergency ward of the hospital run by the central government even refused to check the childThe parents then took the baby to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital another centralgovernment run hospital Though doctors checked the baby but they refused to admit him saying no bed is available and asked the parents to take the child somewhere elseThe baby was finally taken to LNJP Hospital LNJP where he was made to wait for around one hour and doctors later declared him brought dead LNJP is a Delhi governmentrun hospital they saidWhen we reached LNJP hospital the doctors told us that they do not have portable oxygen cylinder and cannot offer treatment immediately After making repeated request the doctors tried to lift the baby from the ambulance to admit in emergency wardAs they took him off the oxygen supply which was installed in the CATS ambulance the baby died He died due to lax attitude of government hospitals said a close relative of the babyThe Union Health Ministry has sought a report from the two hospitals run by it which denied treatment to the newborn We have sought a report from RML and Kalawati Saran Childrens hospital over the allegations of the deceased newborns family that the death occured as hospitals denied treatment to their child said a senior official from the Health MinistryThe RML hospital has constituted a threemember committee comprising two doctors from Paediatric department and its Deputy Labour Welfare Commissioner to conduct a probe into the caseThe Medical Superintendent Dr A K Gadpayle summoned the Head of Paediatric department and the senior resident doctor who was on duty at 1210 PM yesterday when the incident happened The incharges of Casualty and Emergency have also been questioned by the Medical Superintendent said a senior doctor at the hospitalAuthorities at Kalawati Saran Children Hospital however refused to comment on the issueReacting to death of the newborn Delhi Heath Minister Satyendar Jain sought to put the blame on the Centre saying Kalawati and RML hospitals come under it The baby was taken to Kalawati and RML hospitals Both the hospitals come under central government He was then taken to LJNP where doctors immediately started the treatment but unfortunately baby could not be saved he saidJain asserted that LNJP hospital did not refuse admission to the baby Admission is done after treatment Doctors started treatment of the baby in the emergency ward LNJP hospital does not refuse to admit patients he saidOn the shifting of the baby from the private hospital the father Dheeraj Kumar explained his inability to afford the costs saying The private hospital charged us Rs 10000 per day But I earn only Rs 4000I cannot afford Rs 10000 We had already paid Rs 30000 to the hospital Again at the time of discharge they charged us Rs 5000 Kumar said