'Dead' newborn swapped by hospital staff, alleges kin

Family members of a woman who had given birth to a baby boy on March 8 on Thursday lodged a complaint with the senior officials of the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital of an alleged baby swap.

They alleged their baby was exchanged by some of the staff members of the hospital after the newborn was taken to another ward from his mother as the baby had been suffering from some ailments since his birth.

The family members of the victim Madhumita Kha, a resident of Lohai village in Burdwan, alleged that they were told by the hospital staff members on Thursday morning that their baby died following some ailments. When the dead baby was presented to the family members they found that it was not Madhumita's child. They claimed that her baby had a mole on his cheek. But the baby, dead body of whom was presented to her, had no mole on his cheek.

This had led to an agitation among the family members of the victim woman who was admitted to the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital on March 8.

She gave birth to a boy child the very next day. The doctors at the hospital said that the baby had been suffering from some ailments since his birth and they felt the need to keep him to a separate ward.

The family members of Madhumita lodged a complaint with the deputy superintendent of the hospital on the basis of which the hospital authorities had ordered a probe into the incident.

In their complaint, the family members of the victim said that the patient told the staff members that the dead baby presented to her was not her own. But they allegedly threatened her of dire consequences if she raised the matter with the hospital authorities.