IGMH faces negligence allegations after 8-month-old passes away; Investigation underway
The tragic death of an 8-month-old baby at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has prompted an investigation after the child’s family publicly accused the hospital of negligence.
The baby, described by the family as their first son born after 14 years of trying, reportedly had no known underlying condition prior to being admitted on June 20 with symptoms of vomiting and cough.
The family stated that multiple blood tests were performed over two days, after which they were informed the child had an infection though no further details were shared.
The child’s condition worsened during admission, with the family noting visible bloating on the second day.
In a widely shared post on social media,
The patient was bloated entirely, head to toe, two days in to admission at your ward and all your ‘medical officers’, after numerous blood samples, kept on saying it was an infection. Where? How? Why? Unknown. He was almost unrecognizable from how heavily bloated he was from ‘just an infection.
a family member wrote
According to the family, on the third day the general bloating subsided but the child's abdomen remained distended.
They claimed that when they asked for more information, the hospital only mentioned it was due to IV fluids and a liver enzyme being “significantly high,” without further explanation.
Third day his bloating calmed down on but his stomach was still bloated and all puffy and when begged for a result, all you could say was he fluids running in his body which caused the bloating and ‘an enzyme in his liver was significantly high’. What enzyme? What did that enzyme do? Why did it go high all of us sudden? No answer
The family also wrote,
By the fourth day, the baby was reportedly unable to keep his eyes open and cried continuously in pain.
It was only after repeated pleas that a senior doctor reviewed the child on the fifth day and informed the family of liver failure.
Attempts were then made to seek emergency evacuation through Aasandha and the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA).
However, the family said the approval call came 10 minutes after the child had already passed away.
They added that CPR was administered for approximately 15 minutes after the baby passed away, continuing until blood was seen coming from the baby’s mouth and nose.
When contacted by Voice, IGMH CEO Dr. Ibrahim Haleem confirmed the matter is being treated seriously and is under investigation.
The Health Ministry has also stated that it is investigating the case.
Advertisement
