Some families claim their children were placed in unstable beds and left unattended
Digital Desk: Today at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), a newborn baby died and three others were seriously injured after allegedly falling from their beds inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This incident was reported in the morning on 18 th August in Ward No. 3, in the maternity block.
It is reported that four newborns were kept in one box in the NICU, where three of them fell off their beds. One baby girl that had been placed on a phototherapy bed was found hanging and and was later declared dead by hospital doctors. The deceased baby was born on 15 th August and was from Noonmati Bapuji Nagar. According to her mother, Smita Deka, the baby was admitted in the NICU: she had jaundice when she was born.
Families of the injured babies were reportedly not allowed to see them initially. They accuse a lack of infrastructure and overcrowding in the NICU as the reasons that caused the accident. . Some families claim their children were placed in unstable beds and left unattended.
Dr. Achyut Chandra Baishya, the GMCH Principal himself confirmed that the NICU is congested, with more than 80 infants being kept in a unit meant for fewer. He admitted that 2–3 babies are sometimes placed together in a single box due to lack of space.
Dr. Baishya assured that an internal investigation has been launched and even the CCTV coverage will be evaluated. The inquiry will be headed by senior medical committee and stringent action shall be instituted on its findings of negligence.
“Just because there’s an accident doesn’t mean hospitals are unsafe. GMCH remains committed to patient safety,” the principal added, while offering condolences to the grieving family.
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