Complaint filed against Kolkata hospital over infant's death

Kolkata, April 20 : The family of an infant who died at a city-based hospital a day ago registered a complaint of medical negligence against the establishment with the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission on Thursday.

Four-month-old Kuheli Chakraborty, who was admitted to the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital last Saturday for a colonoscopy, allegedly died of anaesthetic overdose on Wednesday morning, the patient's kin alleged.

Accusing the hospital of "killing" their child, the parents demanded that the hospital be shut down.

"This hospital is killing people and it must be shut down. I appeal to the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) to stand by us," the deceased's father said.

"I have been assured by the commission that they will deal with the matter on urgent basis. A report will be sought from the hospital," Shalu, the deceased's mother said.

The parents on Wednesday registered a complaint against the hospital at Phoolbagan Police Station.

Following the incident of child's death, a mob vandalised the hospital premises.

According to the kid's father, the baby was left unattended for a whole day when she was admitted and was not given any food for more than 12 hours before conducting the test.

"The doctors advised to keep her in fasting on April 17 before the colonoscopy but decided not to go ahead with the test after 3 p.m. She was not given any food till afternoon next day. My daughter became weak and dehydrated. She could not be brought back to consciousness after the test," the father alleged.

Refuting the allegations of negligence, the Apollo hospital authorities said the kid suffered "cardiac arrest in the recovery room" and regretted that the kid could not be saved despite "best efforts by the doctors concerned".

"We offer deepest condolences to the family of the child and regret that despite our best efforts, the child could not be saved," hospital CEO Rana Dasgupta said in a statement.

Further, he said, the hospital authority constituted a three-member expert team to internally probe the incident.