A 3-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh died after doctors of a private hospital allegedly discharged her without properly stitching up wounds from her abdominal surgery because the child's parents failed to pay the dues, according to media reports.
The United Medicity Hospital, a private hospital in Prayagraj, allegedly sought Rs 5 lakh for the surgery, of which the parents paid only Rs 2 lakh, seeking more time to pay the rest.
The hospital has denied these allegations, calling them 'baseless'.
It further alleged that the family only paid an amount of Rs 6,370 against the actual amount of Rs 1.25 lakh. "We have all the receipts and documents. We did not hand over the minor with open cuts," the PRO of the hospital said.
The girl was first admitted to the hospital at the beginning of February and then was discharged a week later. The family took her back as the pains persisted, and surgery was performed on February 24, according to the girl's uncle, Sunil Mishra.
He added that they took the girl to another private hospital to stitch up her wounds, but the doctors there asked them to take the minor back to United Medicity, which allegedly refused to admit the child. The girl died at home on March 4.
"We protested at the gate of the hospital (on March 5). We have also submitted our complaint to the police station and spoke to the Prayagraj district magistrate. We want action against the hospital," Mishra is quoted as saying in the report.
District Magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswani and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) have taken cognisance of the matter. The former has constituted a 2-member committee to investigate the matter, as per the report.
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