Infant dies in hospital, mother alleges neglect

Mussoorie: A one-year-old child died after being allegedly denied medical treatment at a govt-run hospital in Mussoorie on Monday.Mamta, the child’s mother, alleged that she reached the hospital around 5 am on Monday, only to find the emergency department door closed.

After repeatedly knocking and forcing open the door, she was allegedly told that no doctor was available and her son could not be treated.“I pleaded with the doctors to stabilise my child so I could take him to Dehradun, but they did not help,” she claimed. She then took him to Dehradun, but her son died on the way. “This hospital was meant to help the poor, but it failed us,” Mamta alleged, despite recent assurances by authorities about its services.Former chairman of Mussoorie Municipal Corporation, Anuj Gupta, alleged that despite substantial spending on upgrades, the hospital had effectively become a referral centre, routinely referring patients to Dehradun instead of providing treatment.Refuting the allegations, Dr KS Chauhan, chief medical superintendent (CMS) at the hospital, told TOI that he had reviewed the CCTV footage where the woman can be seen consulting Dr Prashant, who was on emergency duty at 5:43 am.

“She was prescribed some medications and asked to stay till 8 am and wait for the paediatrician,” the CMS said.He further said that the child had initially been treated by a private doctor in Mussoorie for several days, whose prescription was shown to Dr Prashant by her. After reviewing the prescription, Dr Prashant changed some medicines and gave the child ORS, but the woman left the hospital without waiting, the doctor added.