A four-day-old infant tragically died at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) after falling from a cot and becoming entangled in medical equipment wires. The incident occurred on Monday while a nurse was preparing milk for other infants. According to Prof. Achyut Ch Baishya, the chief superintendent and principal of GMCH, the event is being classified as an “accident.” In response, the state government has established a three-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death. This committee includes additional chief secretary L Sweety Changsan, director of medical education Dr. Anup Kumar Barman, and paediatric specialist Dr. Jaya Shankar Kaushik from AIIMS Guwahati. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who pledged a thorough investigation, visited GMCH later that day and ordered the suspension of the nurse on duty at the time of the incident.
Sarma informed the press that three infants were placed in a single photo-therapy machine despite adequate machines being available for separate use. He also met with the father of the deceased infant. “I have spoken to the principal of GMCH. The police commissioner has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation and examining CCTV footage. Should negligence be identified, we will impose strict penalties,” Sarma remarked. The parents, Smita Deka and Utpal Bordoloi, who live in the Noonmati area of Guwahati, had welcomed their baby on August 15. The father accused NICU staff of negligence and insisted on a clear post-mortem report, expressing his disbelief, “My baby was playful until Sunday noon. How could this happen?”
Baishya mentioned that the infant was admitted to the NICU shortly after birth due to an infection and developed jaundice by Sunday. While undergoing photo-therapy, the accident occurred. Witnesses in the NICU reported seeing two infants fall, and Baishya confirmed that the infant who died was found entangled in the machine’s wires, while another who fell onto the floor was unharmed. “Immediately, doctors and nurses rushed to the scene. The infant receiving photo-therapy could not be revived,” Baishya stated. He added that in the 20-25 years the NICU has been operating, such an incident had never occurred before. He assured that the hospital would cooperate fully in the investigation while clarifying that the metal beds used in the NICU are designed not to collapse. However, officials admitted that GMCH has consistently admitted more infants than it can accommodate. Baishya reiterated that the enquiry would examine how the infants fell, encompassing all staff members, including doctors, nurses, and cleaners, as part of the investigation.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/infant-dies-after-fall-from-cot-at-gmch-probe-on/articleshow/123370863.cms
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Publish Date: 2025-08-19 04:16:00
