Newborn’s death: Karnataka child rights panel registers suo motu case

Haveri: A day after the incident in which a newborn died as it fell to the ground soon after delivery in the corridor of the Haveri district hospital, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights registered a ‘suo motu’ case on Wednesday.

In a letter to Haveri deputy commissioner Vijayamahantesh Danammanavar, the commission asked for a proper investigation into the case and to take legal action against the doctor and staff responsible for the death.

The commission also sought a report of the investigation to it within three days.

Danammanavar said he had asked for a detailed report from the district surgeon.

Haveri Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) director Pradeep Kumar M V said there was no negligence from the hospital side.

The pregnant woman was brought to the hospital and she had high blood pressure (160/100) and there had been no movement of the baby since the previous night. 

“When the patient was heading to the restroom to collect urine samples for a test, she delivered the baby, which was stillborn. In this regard, they have sent a detailed report to the medical education department secretary,” he said.

The 330-bed hospital has no space for expansion. It gets around 1,600 outpatients every day, he said..

“As the hospital is an old building, we can’t expand it vertically either. We have sufficient space on HIMS premises and hope the government will sanction funds for the construction of a 450-bed hospital,” he said.