CHENNAI: The State government has constituted a four-member special committee to investigate the mysterious case of a baby catching fire on its own in Villupuram.
The 10-day-old child was brought to the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital on Saturday night from the Villupuram Medical College Hospital by a special neo-natal ambulance for further investigation.
The committee will be headed by KMC dean Dr N Gunasekaran, and comprise chief pediatrician Dr Sathya Moorthy, chief plastic surgeon Dr Nirmala Ponnambalam and chief psychiatrist Dr Raja Rathinam.
Gunasekaran said the team conducted blood, creatinine and electrolyte tests immediately after the infant was admitted, and the results were normal. “The child suffered burns on the legs. Today morning, the wound swab culture was sent for tests to detect bacterial infection if any. The results will be known after 48 hours,” he said.
The dean added that the committee will on Monday discuss about further investigations and study the case in-depth. Karnan, the child’s father, said his mother-in-law advised them not to visit Chennai for treatment. “My wife supported her mother’s advice. They wanted to avoid Chennai because of the media glare. But I insisted on coming here for better treatment,” he said. Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr C Vijaya Baskar and secretary J Radhakrishnan along with the dean checked on the baby.