Daijiworld Media Network - Kanpur
Kanpur, Feb 10: Authorities have cancelled the registration of a private nursing home in Bithoor after a newborn girl died allegedly due to a fire that broke out in a warmer machine inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), police said on Tuesday.
A case of criminal negligence has been registered against the management of Raja Nursing Home following the incident that occurred on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner of Police S M Qasim Abidi said an FIR has been lodged at Bithoor police station against an unidentified doctor under charges of causing death by negligence.
A preliminary inquiry ordered by District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh revealed that the nursing home was operating its NICU without mandatory approval from the health department.
“Running an NICU requires prior permission, specialised equipment and trained staff. The hospital neither sought approval nor informed the department. This negligence has cost a newborn her life,” a health department official said.
Based on the inquiry findings, the Chief Medical Officer cancelled the nursing home’s registration and ordered an immediate halt to all medical services. The NICU ward has been sealed.
Additional Chief Medical Officer Amit Rastogi, who inspected the facility, said the incident may have been caused by poor maintenance of equipment or staff negligence, leading to the warmer malfunctioning.
Police conducted inquest proceedings and registered the case based on a complaint filed by the infant’s aunt, Ritu Nishad, a resident of Baqarganj.
According to hospital records and the family, the baby girl was delivered via caesarean section at around 4 pm on Sunday and was shifted to the NICU for routine observation, while the mother was moved to the ward.
A few hours later, the warmer on which the infant was placed allegedly caught fire, causing severe burn injuries that led to her death.
Family members alleged that hospital staff failed to immediately inform them about the incident. “We kept asking to see the baby, but the staff kept delaying. We were told about the fire much later,” said the infant’s father, Arun Nishad.
Following the incident, enraged relatives staged a protest inside the hospital and damaged parts of the NICU. They also alleged that the management attempted to offer Rs 2 lakh to settle the matter, though this claim has not been officially confirmed.
Further investigation into the incident is underway.