Inquiry ordered after death of twin neonates in LD Hosp

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights (J&KSCPWCR) on Friday took suo-moto cognizance of mishandling of several cases in premier Lal Ded hospital including death of twin newborn babies and alleged harassment to the parents.

The Commission has also decided to hold an inquiry committee to find the facts.

The news came into limelight when the father of twin babies wrote an open letter to Governor Satya Pal Malik alleging that he lost his two sons due to the negligence of medicos in the hospital. He also alleged that his wife was slapped by one of the doctors and asked to shut up or leave the hospital. The incident happened in the wee hours of June 29.

Chairman JKSCPWCR Vasundhara Prasad Masoodi ordered the inquiry into the matter after news was circulated in the media and social media.

In a long letter written to Governor, Abid Bashir Sofi, a Journalist by profession, appealed the authorities to bring the largest maternity care Lal Ded Hospital on track after losing his two sons due to alleged medical negligence by doctors.

Sofi asked Governor Malik to order an investigation into the case. “The guilty should be punished so that no one has to go through what my family, my wife and I had to go through,” he wrote
He alleged that he took his wife to the LD hospital and the doctors on duty asked her to lie on the bed and without any test - UltraSound or any other test- declared that both the babies have died.

“When my wife insisted that she can feel the movement of the babies and my mother-in-law argued about the same they were shouted at and silenced," he said in the open letter which he also posted on his social media profiles.

Sofi said that when the babies were finally delivered inducing labour, "they were still alive and were left unattended". His wife has alleged that one of the senior doctors asked his assistance to put the first child on the table, "despite him being alive".

"It was only after a junior doctor insisted; the baby was taken to the ICU for children. The doctors again had to inject drugs to get the second baby out. The doctors had to manually pull the baby down to get him out. This was the time when the doctor complaint of her dress being ruined by the blood of my wife and children," he wrote.

"The doctor said that as the babies were born premature I should be relieved that they are dead or else if they survived and had complications, I would have to face difficulties.”

He alleged that he was not even informed of his kids' death when he met doctors.

"It was only after I inquired after their health; he said 'they are dead' and went on to do his paperwork.

He alleged that doctors had no answer why no UltraSound was done and why cervical cerclage which has a success rate of 80 to 90 percent not done to save the babies.

He said he has promised his ‘murdered sons’ that “I will try with all my might that what happened to them will not happen to anyone else.”

He also claims that another woman's child died at the Lal Ded Hospital after he "slipped from the 'tray' and fell on the ground".

"The family, a resident of border district of Kupwara in north Kashmir, alleged that they were asked 'not to speak out about the incident or else their second baby would also die'.

“The woman, who was in deep shock, didn't even take her second baby in her lap," he alleged.

“These are not some isolated cases of medical negligence at Lal Del Hospital. Some of the cases don't get reported due to fear of repercussions if either the mother or the baby is alive while the others take it as the will of God,” he said.

“Through this letter, I would request the Governor to intervene not in just my case, but all the cases in which families have claimed death due to negligence at Lal Ded Hospital. Mr Malik should initiate inquiry in all these cases and punish the guilty. Until and unless doctors at the only maternity hospital in the valley are made accountable, things will not streamline at LD hospital,” he said.


Updated On 7/20/2019 11:41:26 AM