Baby’s death triggers protests at hospital

Kandukur (Prakasam district): Death of newborn baby at Kandukuru Area Hospital on Wednesday triggered protests by the relatives of the pregnant woman and MRPS activists. They blamed negligent on the part of the doctor for the tragedy.

Gochipatala Surekha, a resident of Lingamgunta village in Ponnaluru mandal in the district was admitted to Area hospital for delivery on Tuesday. At that time, there was no duty doctor and the nurses didn’t attend her though the woman had gone into labour.

When the relatives approached the nurses for help, she responded rudely and failed to help. At about 9 pm, duty doctor Sailaja came to the hospital and took the pregnant woman into the operation theatre, stating a surgery should be performed immediately.

Later, around midnight, the doctor disappeared from the hospital and the superintendent and chairman of the hospital development committee reached the hospital and announced that the baby had died in the womb.

The relatives of the woman and the MRPS activists staged a dharna in front of the hospital demanding action against the doctor and nurses. They alleged that the doctor spent her duty hours in private practice and fled from hospital after finding that the bay was dead. Hospital superintendent Srinivasa Rao assured the agitating relatives that a thorough inquiry will be conducted into the matter.