The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a newborn in Hisar, Haryana, due to the unavailability of a ventilator for nearly 24 hours. The commission issued notices to the state Chief Secretary, demanding a detailed report within two weeks.
Incident Details
According to a news report on July 3, the baby was born via caesarean section at the Civil Hospital in Hisar on July 1 and required immediate ventilator support. While the mother remained admitted at the Civil Hospital, doctors initially referred the newborn to the Medical College at Agroha in Hisar district. However, after the Civil Hospital reportedly confirmed that no ventilator was available even at Agroha, the baby was referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak. Unable to get a ventilator at PGIMS as well, the baby was brought back to Hisar and taken to a private hospital, where he was declared dead.
NHRC Observations
The commission observed that the contents of the news reports, if true, raise serious issues of violation of rights. The father went from one hospital to another but could not secure a ventilator, resulting in the infant's death, the NHRC stated in its report.
Inquiry Initiated
The matter has been referred to the district medical negligence board, which has initiated an inquiry. Health department sources attributed the death to a “communication gap.” According to them, a ventilator was available at the Rohtak Civil Hospital, but the baby was admitted to PGIMS. The availability of a ventilator was also not checked at the civil hospitals in the adjoining districts of Fatehabad, Sirsa, and Jind.
The NHRC has given the Haryana Chief Secretary two weeks to submit a detailed report on the incident.
