FIR against Cuttack doctor after toddler dies post-hernia surgery

Cuttack: A case of alleged medical negligence has emerged after a one-and-a-half-year-old boy died following a hernia surgery. A case has been registered against a senior doctor at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (Sishu Bhawan) in Cuttack in connection with the incident.

According to the news reports, the 26-year-old complainant, a resident of Fasi village in Dhenkanal district, stated that her son was initially admitted to Sishu Bhawan on May 28 for treatment. She alleged that the attending doctor diagnosed her child with a hernia and recommended urgent surgery. However, upon learning that they held a government health insurance card, the doctor allegedly refused to perform the surgery at Sishu Bhawan, and later performed the surgery on June 9 at a private hospital in Chandni Chowk, where the child died.

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According to TNIE, subsequently, the child was taken to the private hospital on June 9, and surgery was conducted in the evening. “The doctors there initially told us that our child was well and had been kept in the ICU. However, the next day he suggested we shift him to another private hospital at Mangalabag, stating his condition had deteriorated,” she said.

Speaking to TOI, Sishu Bhawan's superintendent, Prabhakar Mishra, said that a showcause notice has been issued to the head of paediatric surgery department, demanding a response within 24 hours. Police have registered a case under BNS Sections 106 (1) (causing death by negligence) and 318 (4) (cheating).

Despite transferring the child to the Mangalabag hospital, the toddler died on Sunday morning. The mother attributed her son’s death to negligence on the part of the doctors. She also claimed that the family’s health insurance balance was completely used up during the ordeal.

Speaking to TNIE, a senior police official said, “Acting on the FIR, a case has been registered and investigation is underway. We have sent a letter to the CDMO, Cuttack, seeking a report in this connection. After getting the report, necessary legal action will be taken.”

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