NHRC issues notice to Odisha chief secretary on babyrsquos death

  • | Sunday | 19th August, 2018

BHUBANESWAR: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a show cause notice to chief secretary of Odisha on the death of a baby in Angul district headquarters hospital (DHH) on March 6, 2016. This report disclosed that nurse on duty at the Angul DHH had not taken photographs to monitor the condition of the mother and foetus. Though she was admitted in the hospital during daytime, she was not attended by any doctor till 9pm. It has asked for the show cause within four weeks.The rights panel passed the order on August 16 after hearing the petition filed by an activist Sangita Swain on March 7, 2016. The petitioner alleged that the baby died due to medical negligence.

BHUBANESWAR: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a show cause notice to chief secretary of Odisha on the death of a baby in Angul district headquarters hospital (DHH) on March 6, 2016. It has asked for the show cause within four weeks.The rights panel passed the order on August 16 after hearing the petition filed by an activist Sangita Swain on March 7, 2016. The petitioner alleged that the baby died due to medical negligence. The commission asked the chief secretary why a compensation of Rs 3 lakh be not paid to next of kin of the deceased.The petitioner said one Geeta Pradhan of Raniguda village in Angul district had given birth to a stillborn baby at 9.15 pm on March 6, 2016, due to the negligence of the DHH, Angul. Though she was admitted in the hospital during daytime, she was not attended by any doctor till 9pm. She had urged the commission to take action against the health officials and concerned nurse of the hospital and provide appropriate compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.Taking cognizance of the petition, the commission had called for a report from the state health secretary and in response the joint secretary of the department had submitted a report on July 30, 2016. This report disclosed that nurse on duty at the Angul DHH had not taken photographs to monitor the condition of the mother and foetus. She had not even informed doctor G S Bal of the hospital that night about the birth of a stillborn child through normal delivery.The staff nurse had found two rounds of umbilical cord around the neck of the stillborn child. No delivery note was written by her on the bed head ticket. Instead of writing stillbirth, nurse had written ‘IUD’ in bed head ticket and birth register, said the commission’s order.“There was dereliction of duty on the part of nurses of the hospital for which the state is vicariously liable. The Commission deems it appropriate to issue show cause notice under section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, to the Odisha chief secretary as to why a compensation of Rs 3 lakh be not paid to the next of kin of the deceased,” said the commission’s direction.

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