Death of minor: NHRC calls for reports from Health Secy, CMO

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for reports from Union Health Secretary and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, over reported death of a minor girl due to ‘surgical negligence’.

The Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi left a surgical blade inside the body of minor girl leading to her death and that when the child’s father took up the matter of pain to her daughter, the doctors ignored him, despite the x-ray showing the presence of a surgical blade in her body, the NHRC said in a statement.

“The contents of the report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim,” the Commission observed while issuing the notices and calling for reports within two weeks.

According to the media report, 2-year-old Muskan was admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital on February 16, with complaints of chest pain. She was diagnosed with chest infection, high fever and pneumonia.