Pronounced ‘dead’ by hospital, newborn comes alive before burial

HOSPITAL EXPRESSES COMMITMENT NOT TO REPEAT AS SUCH NEGLIGENCE IN FUTURE

Kamala Adhikari, 20, of Chedagad-9, Jajarkot, gave birth to a girl at the Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj “15 minutes” after he was admitted to hospital at 5:30 am due to labor pain on Friday.

Kamala and his spouse Milan Adhikari had their first child stillbirth and were very happy their second child was born normal. But their happiness did not last long after the hospital pronounced their newborn “dead” sometime after her birth.

The maternity ward handed the ‘body’ of the baby to Adhikari couple wrapped in cloth at around “6:30” am and put inside a polythene bag for burial.

Milan started preparing for the child’s last rites. As he was heading towards the burial site located in Bulbuliya carrying the baby in his arms for its last rites, Milan, to his astonishment, noticed that the ‘dead’ baby was breathing. He, then, brought the child back to the hospital.

“The hospital staff declared the baby dead although it was alive. They even put the baby inside a plastic bag and gave it to us for performing the last rites. This is the height of negligence of the hospital. Action should be taken for this sheer negligence,” said enraged Milan.

The hospital employees had even asked for Rs 2,000 from him as the burial fee saying they would bury the baby.

But Milan denied the hospital’s offer saying he would bury his child himself.

“First, they declare a living baby dead and then ask for money to bury the baby. What is this?” he wondered.

The hospital employees had charged him for Rs 500 for washing the baby’s napkin and Rs 1,500 as burial charge, according to Milan.

The hospital, later issuing a press release, maintained that the baby was born “premature” and “extremely low birth weight” thus it was difficult to evaluate the physical condition of the baby.

The child was born after 23 weeks of conception and weighs 600 grams, according to the hospital.

“The baby expelled itself and showed no activity at the time of birth. The baby had no pulsation in cord and her condition did not improve when stimulated on back and feet,” the press release reads.

“The nurse then went to look for another case of delivery and came back but found no improvement in the condition of the baby,” it further reads.

The baby is being treated at the NICU, according to the hospital.

“When the father brought the baby back to the hospital at 7:25 am, the baby’s pulse was 50/min. At 8:25 the baby’s pulse elevated to 140/min, respiration 30/min and saturation 91%,” the release stated.

The hospital has also expressed commitment not to let such negligence repeat again in the future.