9-month-old dies in SMCH; father blames "gross negligence", doctor says kid brought in late

A nine-month-old boy admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital’s Pediatrics Department passed away yesterday. A patient of asthma, the boy was feeling breathless on Monday and that is when his parents rushed him to Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

A resident of Udharbond’s Salgonga area, Anup Kumar Deb’s son Arnab Kumar Dev breathed his last yesterday at around 1:00 o’clock.

The family has alleged the treating doctors’ “gross negligence” have killed their son. “When my son was admitted and under treatment, the doctors said he is recovering. But then they decided to shift him from the ward to ICU. While shifting they removed the oxygen mask and the process took some time. After reaching ICU, he died. Why did they remove the oxygen while shifting from ward to ICU and kill my son?” questioned Anup Kumar Deb.

The kid was brought with acute respiratory issues, said Dr. Bhaskar Gupta, vice-principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital. “After he was brought to the hospital, we tested his samples for COVID19 by RAT kit and he was negative. The treatment begun immediately. We were waiting for the RT-PCR report as it is compulsory before shifting a patient to ICU,” informed Gupta.

Tuesday afternoon at around 12:00 noon, the hospital authority got the RT-PCR report. “That was negative too and therefore the doctors decided to transfer the patient to Pediatrics ICU. The kid was in critical condition from the beginning. Both his lungs were badly infected as he was suffering from pneumonia. The case was presented before the doctors very late,” added Gupta.

The family members and parents of the kid alleged that while transferring the kid from ward to ICU they have removed the oxygen support and that is why their child is no more.

“Any death is painful and when a kid dies it is indeed sad. However, it would not be fair to blame the treating doctors. It barely takes 10 minutes to shift a patient to ICU. The clothes need to be changed and there are other protocols. But it is not true that the kid died because oxygen support was taken off for a few moments during transit. Actually, the kid died while under a ventilator in the ICU and not during the transit,” clarified doctor Gupta.

After the kid’s death the family is in shock and the entire locality is in a state of mourning.