Palamu health officials seal Lesliganj clinic after newborn’s death

Daltonganj: Palamu civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Srivastava on Saturday announced the sealing of a private clinic at Lesliganj following a botched operation that led to the death of a newborn on Thursday night.The private hospital and nursing home on Dhela, registered under the Clinical Establishments Act, was sealed on Friday after preliminary findings pointed to serious irregularities, he said.In a written statement on Friday, the baby’s father, Sanjeet Ram, alleged that Rs 27,000 was demanded for the delivery and that he paid Rs 9,000 in advance to the hospital owner. “The operation was conducted around 7 pm on Thursday,” Ram said.He further alleged that a sahiya, Anuj Devi, influenced him to take his wife, Priya Kumari, 23, from Medinirai Medical College and Hospital in Daltonganj, where she went for a regular check-up, to the Lesliganj facility on the assurance of better care.After delivery, the baby was said to have oxygen deficiency and was referred to another private hospital in Daltonganj, where he was declared dead on arrival. Post-mortem examination of the newborn was conducted in MMCH, police said.

Srivastava said that the administration couldn’t verify the name of the doctor who performed the C-section procedure. “The name written in the complaint appears to be fake. We found no such doctor,” he said. He added that as per official records, the private facility has a registered surgeon with a different name, who reportedly did not conduct the surgery.Officials also flagged major lapses, including the absence of consent documents, anaesthetist notes and BHT registers.

“The hospital’s conduct appears highly dubious,” the civil surgeon said.Srivastava said that the facility was registered under a different name earlier, but its licence was cancelled in June 2025 over deficiencies. It was rechristened in Sept 2025, after which it secured a fresh registration valid till Sept 22 this year.Lesliganj police station officer in-charge Uttam Kumar Rai said the father’s statement has been recorded at the MMCH police outpost and further action will follow. The entire staff at the private facility has reportedly fled, fearing administrative action.