Deadly mistake costs baby her life

The newborn baby – who was wrongly declared stillborn due to negligence of duty of two on-duty doctors and was found alive after two hours – finally died yesterday (Wednesday) noon at a private hospital in the port city. The ill-fated baby girl died at 1:30pm while undergoing treatment at the Neonatal Incentive Care Unit of Max Hospital and Diagnostic Ltd (MHDL). Md Azizur Rahman Siddique, Civil Surgeon of Chittagong, revealed the information to media after visiting the hospital at 2:30pm Wednesday. He observed that the ‘ill-fated’ infant could have been saved if she was not mistakenly declared dead. Earlier on Tuesday, the premature infant was born around 1am at Centre for Specialised Care and Research (CSCR) Private Ltd in Chittagong and was immediately declared dead by the on-duty doctors. Jamal Ahmed, managing director of CSCR, told the Dhaka Tribune that Ruma Akter and Iqbal Hossain, the on-duty doctors who declared the child stillborn, have been withdrawn from regular duty on charges of negligence of duty,. Meanwhile, Civil Surgeon of Chittagong formed a three-member probe committee headed by pediatric specialist Dr Md Shah Alam to investigate the unfortunate death. The investigation committee will submit its report within three working days to Prof Abul Kalam Azad, director general at Directorate General Health service (DGHS). Talking to the reporters after coming out of Max Hospital, Dr Siddique said that usually doctors across the world take three to four hours for declaring a patient death. Observing that on-duty doctors should not move along while declaring death of any newborn baby, the Ctg civil surgeon suggested, “A panel should be formed by health ministry and health services – to formulate a policy for following some particular procedures before making the declaration of death of a newborn – comprising specialist medical practitioners.” “We will not tolerate such negligence of duty at all. Nowadays, it is frequently reported in the media that newborn babies declared dead stir to life later. To put a stop to such a heinous trend, I want to make it sure that the investigation will be a thorough one,” added Siddique. Expressing hope that this will be the last such case of negligence of duty in the country, he said, “The death of the infant is really painful for all of us. As it was their first baby, the pain is much more unbearable for the parents who themselves are both doctors. It is a matter of great sorrow that doctors themselves are now becoming victims of negligence of duty committed by doctors.” In reply to a query of a reporter, the civil surgeon said that it was upto the parents of the deceased baby if they would file any case in this regard. He said, “The DG of DGHS has assured me that exemplary punitive measure will be taken if anyone is found guilty in this connection.”