Seven-Year-Old Girl Dies at Narayanpet Govt Hospital; Parents Allege Delay in Treatment

Hyderabad: A seven-year-old girl was declared dead on arrival at the Narayanpet Government Hospital on Saturday, with her parents alleging that doctors were unavailable when they first approached the hospital earlier in the morning.

The child’s father, K Venkat Ramulu, alleged that doctors were not available when they initially brought the girl to the hospital at about 4 am. He said the duty staff gave her syrup after they reported vomiting and advised them to wait for a doctor. According to him, even during their second visit, they were given medicine while the child’s condition continued to worsen.

“We waited for the doctors, but they were unavailable. I also obtained an emergency outpatient slip around 9.45 am as my child’s condition had become serious. We then took her to a private hospital. There should be an investigation into how doctors were unavailable at a government hospital,” he alleged.

Hospital officials denied any negligence and said the child had been examined through her case sheet by a paediatrician, who advised further evaluation. The family allegedly left the hospital and later returned when the child’s condition had deteriorated.

Dr Sampath Kumar, in-charge superintendent of the hospital, told Deccan Chronicle that the parents brought the child to the hospital around 4 am with complaints of abdominal pain and vomiting. “The paediatrician was attending an emergency neonatal surgery at the time. The child was prescribed medicines and the parents were asked to wait. The doctor had gone through the case sheet. The parents said they would wait outside in an autorickshaw, but they were not there when the doctor returned,” Dr Kumar said.

According to the superintendent, the family returned around 9.30 am with the child unconscious and vomiting blood. “Unfortunately, she was dead when we examined her. A postmortem was conducted and the report is awaited. We suspect dengue or typhoid,” he said.

Dr Kumar said the hospital had adequate beds, including additional beds arranged in view of seasonal diseases, and doctors were available. He denied allegations of negligence and said the parents had not produced the child’s previous medical reports.