HYDERABAD: Parents of a one-and-a-half-year-old who rushed their child to Niloufer Hospital when the boy swallowed soap, complained of medical negligence on part of the staff. They alleged that the hospital did not have basic drugs, and duty doctors could not even draw blood properly. Hari Prasad, a resident of Asifabad, said, “On Sunday, my son swallowed some Himalaya baby soap while playing. I took him to Niloufer Hospital as two private hospitals declined to give him treatment stating that it was a Medico-Legal Case (MLC). The doctor in the emergency ward asked us to admit our son saying the soap could lead to other complications.”
Hari Prasad said that the doctors issued instructions that the infant should not drink or eat anything for 24 hours as it could aggravate his condition. “However, when I requested one of the doctors to give my son a saline drip, he said that one should not expect these amenities at Niloufer since it is a government hospital.”
Express previously reported about the lack of saline drips in Niloufer Hospital during the dengue epidemic, when patients were forced to share IV bottles. “My son was only given one saline drip. He was so weak that he couldn’t even stand properly. Assistant Professor Dr Himabindu of Pediatric Ward IV was rude when we expressed our concerns,” said Prasad.