NHRC notice to UP govt over child's death at hospital after docs 'refused' to attend to him

The NHRC on Thursday said it has sent a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over reports that a one-year-old child with fever and swollen neck died after doctors allegedly refused to attend to him at Kannauj district hospital.

The commission, in a statement said, this is not the first case of alleged negligence and denial of treatment to the patients by doctors in the recent past.

"The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a one-year-old child, suffering from fever and swollen neck, died as he was not attended to by the doctors at the district hospital, Kannauj," the rights panel said in a statement.

Looking into the gravity of the reported issue, the commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, including the action taken against the delinquent doctors, officials of the hospital concerned and status of any relief given to the family of the deceased child by the state government, it said.

The NHRC said it has come across many such complaints and media reports where patients even in emergency conditions were not provided necessary life-saving treatment by doctors at various government-run and private hospitals in Uttar Pradesh.