A woman delivered a baby at the verandah of the Capital Hospital here without medical assistance on Tuesday morning, but the infant died afterward with the family members alleging negligence by staff of the Government-run hospital.
The hospital authorities, however, said the baby boy was born with respiratory problem which caused his death.
Kiran Kalia, a pregnant woman from the nearby Pipili area, had been admitted to the hospital in the small hours of the day and she was asked to stay in the hospital verandah due to shortage of beds, her relatives said.
The woman gave birth to the baby on the verandah itself without the support of any nurse or supervision of doctor.
“We kept calling the nurses to help Kiran. But they did not attend her, saying the time was not due,” Kiran’s sister-in-law said.
“Even after the baby was born, the staff didn’t visit her. Instead, they asked us to take the baby to them. The baby was fine when it was born, but the negligence of the nurses and the doctor killed him,” she alleged.
Capital Hospital Superintendent Binod Mishra claimed that the child was born in a critical condition.
“As per reports available, the patient visited the hospital at about 1 am in an advanced stage of labour. The baby faced respiratory issues immediately after he was born and that caused his death,” Mishra said.
On the alleged negligence at the hospital, he said, “I cannot say anything on that without an inquiry. We will look into the matter and take necessary departmental action if any lapse is found.”