Neglected, infant dies in Ctg hospital

A three-month-old infant died for alleged negligence of the doctor on-duty at a private hospital in Chattogram in the early hours of Friday.  

Relatives of the deceased infant claimed a group of intern doctors there came down on them as they protested the "negligence" of the doctor.

Authorities of Bangabandhu Memorial Hospital, also known as UST Medical, said there was nothing wrong with the infant.

"On information, we went to the hospital and brought the situation under control," said Santosh Chakma, officer-in-charge of Khulshi Police Station.  

Family members of the deceased child filed a written complaint (general diary) with the police station alleging negligence in the child's medical treatment and the attack on them, he told The Business Standard (TBS). "We are looking into the matter."

The father of the infant, Rajib Chakrabarti said his child got pneumonia and was taken to "Ma O Shishu Hospital" in Agrabad of the city on 22 February.  "As the newborn intensive care unit [NICU] of the hospital had no vacancy, we took our child to UST Medical on the same day," he told TBS.

Rajib, an electrician by profession, added that his child was transferred to a general bed from the NICU of the hospital on Thursday. "In the early hours of Friday, we noticed the child was suffering from breathing difficulties and I informed the doctor. However, the doctor did not respond promptly and was busy playing games on his mobile phone."  

"A few moments later, the child was taken to the NICU but had died by then," the father said, and added that covering up the child's death, the doctor was pressuring them to take the infant to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.

"We protested, but a group of intern doctors there came down on us," said Rajib.

Rajib and his family live in Alirhat in the city.

Contacted, Dr Asaduzzaman, who was on duty then, told TBS, "We were not negligent in our medical care and treatment. We responded promptly, but the child died."