Hyderabad: Man assaults 'Niloufer Hospital' Jr doctor for a 10-month-old baby death

Hyderabad: Junior doctors boycotted work at Niloufer Hospital after one of them was assaulted by a family member of a 10-month-old baby who died at the hospital late on Friday night.

Mr Karthik, a junior doctor, said the assault occurred in the emergency ward at about midnight. “The baby was brought on February 7 and was suffering from malnutrition with severe dehydration. We prescribed some medicines and instructed that she should not be given milk from the bottle,” the medico said.

When the baby was brought to the emergency room, she did not have a pulse. “The girl might have died long ago. The doctor was trying to revive the baby and give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR),” he said.

Mr Karthik said the mother has agreed that she had fed the baby with a bottle. “After feeding milk, the baby should be held on the shoulder and patted. This suffered aspiration and the milk filled the lungs, which was revealed during examination,” he said.

“The parents were standing near the child and watching the procedure. Out of the blue someone came into the emergency ward and started beating the doctor.” He said there were three security checkpoints to reach the emergency ward but the group was allowed past all of them. “This is not second incident in two months,” he said.

Niloufer Hospital superintendent Dr Murali Krishna said a complaint had been lodged with the police. “Assaulting a doctor is a crime and may attract severe punishment. The patient’s relatives did not listen to the doctor’s explanation. We have suspended the security personnel who were on duty at that time.”

Nampally sub-inspector Penta Goud said the baby’s uncle, Mohammed Ferdoze, had been arrested. Police has registered a case under IPC Section 332 (causing hurt) and Section 4 of the Medical Services Act and began investigations.