By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A day after the report of the death of a baby in Ganesh Das Hospital came to fore, the Meghalaya Peoples Human Rights Council (MPHRC) demanded the State Government to constitute a high level expert committee of doctors to enquire into the matter.
The newborn had died soon after its birth following complications and the mother, 22-year-old Monda Beka Marngar, alleged that the operation carried out at the Ganesh Das Hospital resulted in the baby bleeding profusely leading to its death.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, MPHRC Information & Public Relation Secretary, Pynskhem Syiemlieh said that the facts and circumstances of the incident clearly demonstrate that the patient was deprived of treatment by the doctor on duty at the Government-run Hospital.
“If the allegations are found to be true by the Expert Committee of doctors, the incident would be a violation of human rights for which the Government and the hospital authority is responsible,” said Syiemlieh.
The MPHRC also said that Medical Council of India and the State Medical Council should come forward to strictly implement its regulations.
“Failure of these regulatory bodies to keep a check on the erring doctors and ineffective enforcement of the ethical guidelines framed in 2002, are the main reasons for falling standards of health care facilities in India,” the MPHRC said.
Meanwhile, stating that the death of a newborn in a city hospital was unfortunate, Director of Health Services (Maternal Child Health and Family Welfare) Dr M Marak said that she has received a report from the Ganesh Das superintendent Dr R Wankhar on the matter.
“As per the report, the child was suffering from congenial deformity known as gastroschisis which represents a herniation of abdominal contents through a paramedian full-thickness abdominal fusion defect,” Dr Marak told The Shillong Times on Tuesday night.
“It is really difficult to save the child who is born with congenial deformity,” Marak said while informing that as per the report received by her the newborn baby was shown to the father who was informed that the child was suffering from gastroschisis.
“The child could not be shown to the mother since she was still under anaesthesia,” Dr Marak said.
According to her, after seeing the critical condition of the child, the doctors of the hospital had immediately referred the case to Nazareth Hospital on the ground they have better equipment and better surgeons to save the life of the new born baby.
The Director of Health
Services said that she had also personally gone to visit the Ganesh Das Hospital on Tuesday morning and had a discussion with Dr Wankhar on the incident.