Kolkata hospital accused of negligence again as infant dies

A city-based private hospital, which is already under the state administration's scanner since a patient's death in February, was once again accused of negligence in treatment following an infant's death on Wednesday.

Four-month-old Kuheli Chakraborty, who was admitted to the city's Apollo Gleneagles Hospital last Saturday for a colonoscopy, allegedly died of anaesthetic overdose on Wednesday morning, the patient's kin alleged.

According to the kid's father, the baby was left unattended for a whole day when she was admitted and was not given any food for more than 12 hours before conducting the test.

"The doctors advised to keep her in fasting on April 17 before the colonoscopy but decided not to go ahead with the test after 3 p.m. She was not given any food till afternoon next day. My daughter became weak and dehydrated. She could not be brought back to consciousness after the test," the father alleged.

The mother, visibly heartbroken after the baby's death, accused the doctors of negligence and demanded that the wrongdoers be punished.

"My daughter was okay. She died solely due to the doctor's negligence. I want punishment to the doctors concerned, especially the anaesthetist, whom we repeatedly requested to be careful as the kid was already starving for a long time," the bereaved mother said.

The parents said they have registered a complaint against the hospital at Phoolbagan Police Station.

Following the incident of child's death, a mob vandalised the hospital premises.

A glass door inside the hospital was shattered, the hospital sources said.

Refuting the allegations of negligence, the Apollo hospital authorities said the kid suffered "cardiac arrest in the recovery room" and regretted that the kid could not be saved despite "best efforts by the doctors concerned".

"We offer deepest condolences to the family of the child and regret that despite our best efforts, the child could not be saved," hospital CEO Rana Dasgupta said in a statement.

Further, he said, the hospital authority constituted a three-member expert team to internally probe the incident.

"As per our administrative protocol, a three-member medical committee would investigate the reason of the child's demise and submit its report," Dasgupta added.