Guwahati, Sep 3: Following the tragic demise of a four-day-old infant in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital’s (GMCH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the Assam Government suspended five staff members including two PG trainees over gross negligence of duty.
The five (5) staff members includes- two (2) senior doctors, Nurse- In- Charge, ICU Technician and a staff nurse. These five were found to have misled the team investigating the incident and had also failed to maintain proper records.
Apart from these five, two (2) Post Graduate trainees of the Department of Paediatrics, have been rusticated for six months by Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences (SSUHS) following an enquiry report of grave misconduct and negligence apart from manipulating hospital records.
GMCH Superintendent Dr. Devojit Choudhury confirmed the suspension of Dr Anupama Deka (head of Paediatrics), Dr Dipankar Hazarika (Associate professor), Nurse- in- Charge Gomati Devi, ICU technician Ishanjyoti Talukdar and Staff Nurse Chandana Nath apart from two post graduate trainees.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, Dr. Choudhury said, “Five GMCH staff apart from two PG trainees have been suspended in line with the three-member probe committee’s findings, reports by health authorities and SOPs. Gross negligence of duty has been identified as the primary cause of the four day old infant’s death”.
It needs to be mentioned here that on August 18, the four (4) day old infant, who was admitted to the NICU with jaundice, was found to be hanging from the railing of a phototherapy bed tangled in medical equipment wires sparkling statewide outrage.
