RANIPET: A day after a baby boy died at a primary health centre (PHC) at Thimiri in Ranipet on November 10, the boy’s parents have blamed poor treatment and lack of facilities, including ambulance to shift the baby to Walajapet GH on time, for the death. Health officials, however, denied the allegations.
According to Ajith (27), father of the baby, around 1.30 am on Monday, he took his wife Sneha (22) to the PHC, following labour pain. “Since the pain became unbearable, my wife asked the staff if there was anything wrong, but the staff insisted that everything was fine and that it's going to be a simple normal delivery," recalled Ajith.
Both Ajith and Sneha were from Mettukudisai village in Thimiri. In the multiple health checkups before the delivery, the baby's condition was recorded to be fine.
The delivery procedure started around 6am on Monday, and at 6.17 am, the boy was born. Ajith said that the entire procedure was complicated and the umbilical cord was seen wrapped around the baby's neck during the delivery. This has led to the reduced heartbeat in the baby, Ajith said. "On Monday night, they told us that there was no one to do the scanning at night. If a scan was done earlier, the umbilical cord’s position could have been ascertained," he alleged.
Soon, the baby was found to have some respiratory issues. "There was no incubator facility for the baby. One doctor, a nurse and a housekeeping staff was called in to assist with the delivery. Meanwhile, my wife was bleeding and no one was attending to her," said Ajith. According to him, the couple was referred to the Walajapet GH, but the ambulance came only at 7.45 am, after 1.5 hours of waiting.
“At the time of leaving the PHC, we were told the baby had a 30% heartbeat, but when we reached Walajapet GH, the doctors there declared the child as brought dead," he said.
He also alleged that the nurse while stitching after delivery had kept a cotton swab inside his wife's body, but soon realised her mistake and removed it. Sneha is presently receiving treatment at the Walajapet GH.
When the TNIE spoke to Rajeshwari H, Thimiri DMO, she refuted all the allegations. "The baby's APGAR score was low. So we referred him to the Walajapet GH. There was no delay in arranging the ambulance," she said. She added that all the staffs present on night duty were assigned for the delivery and there was no shortage of staff. Senthil Kumar, DD Health, Ranipet, also said that it was a simple normal delivery and there were no complications. “The baby's condition at the time of birth was poor," he said.