Tension prevailed outside a private hospital near Lohara Bridge in Ludhiana on Thursday after family members of a woman staged a protest, alleging medical negligence, which they claimed led to the death of a newborn baby. The family has also submitted a written complaint to the Shimlapuri police, seeking an inquiry into the incident.
Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesters demanded action against doctors and the hospital management. They alleged that delay in conducting the delivery procedure resulted in complications, leading to the death of the infant.
Mohan Singh, a relative of the victim’s family, said the pregnant woman was admitted to the hospital on the night of May 30. According to him, doctors informed the family that a surgical procedure would be conducted the next day.
He alleged that the woman was experiencing severe labour pain but the doctors arrived only around 7 am on May 31.
“The patient was in intense pain for several hours. After the delivery was conducted, the doctors informed us that the baby was facing serious health complications and referred the newborn to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC),” he claimed.
Mohan Singh further alleged that by the time the baby was taken to the DMCH, the condition had deteriorated significantly. “When we reached the hospital, doctors declared the baby dead. We believe there was negligence in handling the delivery, which caused the tragedy,” he said.
The grieving family staged a protest outside the hospital and demanded a fair probe into the matter. They urged the authorities to examine treatment records and fix responsibility, if any lapse was found.
Inspector Japinder Kumar, SHO, Shimlapuri police station, said: “We have taken the complaint from the victim’s family and the issue has also been raised with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. The authorities are forming a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the matter.”
