According to the parents, on Thursday, even after feeding milk, the child kept on crying. After a few hours, his lips and nose turned black. Upon the advice of a doctor at a nearby clinic, they took the child to the Civil Hospital.
"Had we been aware of the quality of services in public hospitals in Gurugram, we would not have taken our child there and he would have been alive today," said 28-year-old Shiny Joseph, who came to collect the death certificate of her only child in the Civil Hospital.
On Thursday, three-month-old Abel Joseph lost his life due to the alleged delay by the hospital authorities in providing an ambulance. The infant, who was suffering from severe respiratory problems, was referred to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. The ambulance, which was to take the family, developed a snag and another ambulance has to be pressed into service. Parents allege that non-availability of ambulance and the long paperwork during the critical hour resulted in their child's death.
However Senior Medical Officer, Sandeep Sharma, has a different version. "Due to pulmonary aspiration, milk got into the child's lungs and he lost his life. The child was almost dead when the family arrived at the hospital," he said.
According to the parents, on Thursday, even after feeding milk, the child kept on crying. After a few hours, his lips and nose turned black. Upon the advice of a doctor at a nearby clinic, they took the child to the Civil Hospital.
"Around 9.30 am, we took him to the emergency ward. Dr Kamaldeep suspected that milk might have got into the child's lungs. After some primary medication, he was referred to the Safdarjung Hospital," said John, the baby's father.
The parents were told to fill 5-6 forms for the ambulance and referral. The paperwork took 10 minutes and the child was taken to the ambulance. "There was no medical assistant with us. After 10-12 minutes, the ambulance driver told us there was a technical snag and he cannot take us to Delhi," said Shiny. They were later taken in another ambulance. "The second ambulance also required permission papers," she said.
The child was in life support system while being shifted to the other ambulance. When his body movement ceased, the parents took him to the emergency ward again, where he was declared dead.
It has been less than a month since the family of three shifted from Kerala to Gurugram. Shiny is unemployed and John is a pastor in a church.
According to a senior medical official, a three-member committee has been formed by the hospital to investigate the incident. The committee comprises a general physician, an ambulance unit staff, and a pediatrician. They will submit their report to the chief medical officer within a week.
For more than 3,000 daily patients, the Civil Hospital has 16 ambulances. Only three ambulances have advanced life support system. "We seek private ambulances when our own are occupied," Dr Sandeep said.
The parents of the infant are yet to file a case. "We are still struggling with the language here and we do not know anybody in the city. We need peace now. We will register a case after a few days,"said John.
On March 8, a three-month-old girl suffering from a heart defect had died at the Civil Hospital because of alleged negligence by the hospital staff. Her parents alleged that she died while waiting for treatment as no doctors attended to her in the OPD.
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