Rejecting the reply of the State Government in response to a show-cause notice, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Government to pay damage of Rsthree lakh to a Bhadrak woman, whose newborn died at the Chandbali CHC in October last year due to medical negligence.
The NHRC in June this year had issued the notice asking the State’s Chief Secretary to show cause as to why the mother of the deceased newborn would not be compensated.Going through the reply of the Government, the NHRC said, “The contents seem to be an attempt to effectively defend the state of health administration. Medical negligence cannot be justified under any circumstances when it results in the loss of an infant.” The death of an infant due to medical negligence is a gross violation of human rights, it stated.
“The Odisha Chief Secretary is directed to make an interim compensation of Rs3 lakh to the victim’s mother Rashmita Sahoo,” the NHRC’s order said, asking the Chief Secretary to submit proof of payment with acknowledgement of its receipt by the victim’s mother within six weeks positively.
The Government has also been asked to submit a report showing departmental action taken against the erring doctor, for whose negligence the baby died.
The matter had been brought to the notice of the NHRC by rights activist and advocate Prabir Kumar Das. The case inter alia pertained to the deaths of two newborns in the hospital on the intervening night of October 17 and 18 of 2013. As the newborns had breathing problems, the concerned doctor had asked the medical staff to put the babies on oxygen.
But the babies died within hours of their birth as they could not be put on oxygen because the storeroom in which the oxygen cylinders were kept was locked and the store in-charge, who had the keys, was on leave.The inquiry report had concluded that one of the cases was stillborn and oxygen was not necessary for it and the other baby died due to lack of oxygen, which was a clear case of medical negligence.