NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a newborn at the Delhi government-run Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), after the child was delivered in a hospital washroom earlier this month, allegedly without adequate medical support.
The Commission stated that the baby of a destitute woman, admitted to IHBAS under a court order on 7 September, died following the delivery in a washroom due to the lack of facilities. “Reportedly, the hospital staff took a considerable amount of time to even manage a clamp to cut the umbilical cord before transferring them by ambulance to the nearby Swami Dayanand Hospital, but the infant’s life could not be saved,” the NHRC said in a statement.
Noting that the allegations, if true, raise a serious human rights concern, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Delhi, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
According to media reports, the patient was admitted to IHBAS despite the hospital lacking the infrastructure required for childbirth. Hospital staff themselves confirmed the absence of maternity facilities. The woman is currently receiving treatment at another government hospital.
The infant, born at 26 weeks’ gestation, was alive at birth but died shortly after being shifted to Swami Dayanand Hospital. Doctors said the child’s lungs were underdeveloped due to premature delivery.
The incident prompted an unscheduled visit by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who assured that infrastructural gaps would be addressed with the construction of a new hospital building.
Staff at the mental health institute highlighted that IHBAS has been operating without MRI and CT scan machines since 2012 and continues to rely on limited X-ray and ultrasound facilities.