HT DIGITAL
GUWAHATI, AUGUST 18: A sad incident occurred at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in the maternity unit, where three newborn children were severely injured within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Alarmingly, one baby is presumed dead. The accident occurred in Ward No. 3 of the labour and delivery unit.
There are indications that four infants had been put on one ICU bed together when the mishap happened. At the time, three babies received serious head injuries after supposedly falling. Witnesses reported that one baby was observed slipping and rolling, while the other babies, who were similarly grouped together on the same bed, were just as vulnerable.
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It has also been brought to light that four or five infants were being stored within a single ICU box. This has generated grave concerns regarding overcrowding, safety policies, and the overall capability of the hospital to deal with critical situations. Families have also accused negligence, stating that physicians and nurses have in the past exhibited misconduct and unprofessionalism.
Parents could not enter the NICU at the time of the incident, which caused them greater distress. One of the newborns, delivered on August 15 in the noon hours, is said to have died, says his father Utpal Haloi, a Bapuji Nagar resident from Noonmati. The other three are still in a critical state and are undergoing treatment in the Baby ICU.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred inside the Baby ICU at GMCH. Families have repeatedly raised concerns about overcrowding and unsafe conditions, but little seems to have been done to address them.
As a reaction to the tragedy, the authorities of the GMCH have initiated a high-level probe. An official team has reached the maternity ward, and CCTV footage is being analyzed to identify precisely how the mishap occurred. The tragic incident has again brought to the fore the lapses in neonatal safety at one of Assam’s top hospitals. Relatives of the victims are now seeking accountability, immediate action against the guilty, and speedy improvement in the facilities of the hospital to ensure such incidents do not recur.
