DM orders probe on the death of minor girl due to alleged medical negligence

PRAYAGRAJ, March 6 (HS): District Magistrate, Prayagraj has constituted a team to probe the death of a minor girl, who died due to alleged medical negligence as her parents could not afford money for her treatment.

Chief Medical Officer, Prayagraj told HS that after taking cognizance of the video posted by a journalist alleging medical negligence responsible for the death of minor girl, the district magistrate had formed a team to investigate the death. “The report will be submitted to the DM on Sunday. The investigation is still underway. A post-mortem has been conducted and the report along with the findings of the probe will be submitted to the district magistrate,” he said.

The move came after National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the district magistrate of Prayagraj, asking him to lodge an FIR and conduct an inquiry into recent reports appearing on social media about the medical negligence conducted by a local hospital which allegedly resulted in the death of a child. On March 5, a journalist had tweeted a story of a three-year-old child who had been operated upon at United Med-City hospital in Prayagraj. He alleged that while the hospital demanded Rs 5 lakh for the operation, the family paid around Rs 2 lakh after selling their farm land. Upon this, the child was sent away by the hospital with her stomach left un-stitched.

“The family is poor and could pay Rs 2 lakh only on selling their farming land. As the family couldn’t pay the rest of the money demanded by the hospital, the child was sent back home without even stitching her stomach after the operation. The child died due to this inhuman action of the doctors of the said hospital. You are requested to conduct an inquiry into the matter and lodge an FIR under the relevant sections of IPC and recommend strict action against the doctors and staff responsible for this inhuman act under provisions of Indian Medical Council as well,” the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said in a letter to DM, a copy of which is with HS.