Kin of dead 6-day-old baby alleges negligence by ayah

Family members of a six-day old baby who died at Cooch Behar's MJN Hospital staged a demonstration inside the hospital campus alleging negligence.

The incident triggered tension among the patients and their relatives. The victim's family members alleged that negligence on the part of the attending ayah had led to the death of the infant.

The family members of the deceased held the accused attendant inside a room for quite sometimes in the morning till police came to her rescue. Police have, however, taken the attendant to the police station for interrogation. A huge contingent of police rushed to the spot to control the situation.

The wife of Khokon Modak, a resident of Baneswar area of Cooch Behar was admitted to the hospital a week ago. A day after her admission the woman gave birth to a baby boy. Till Sunday evening the condition of the mother and her baby was stated to be stable. The family members of the victim said that they left the hospital as there was an attendant to look after the mother and the child. After returning home, the family members received a telephone call from the hospital at around 2.30 am saying the baby died while the condition of the mother was serious.

As a result of this incident, the family members of the baby and neighbours in large number congregated outside the hospital premises. They staged a demonstration demanding the arrest of the attendant. They alleged that the attendant who was appointed to look after the newborn left the ward and this led to the death of the baby.

However, the exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained.

Senior officials of the hospital assured the victim's family members that a probe would be conducted in this regard. On the basis of the complaint, the police have detained the accused attendant for interrogation who had been engaged to look after the child and her mother.

Police are interrogating the accused attendant to know what exactly happened to the baby and if she had gone to any other place leaving the baby with his mother alone.

The hospital authorities may also carry out a separate probe into the alleged medical negligence as confusion has been created over his death.