Four doctors in Alappuzha, Kerala, are facing charges from the authorities for allegedly failing to identify a newborn’s genetic problems prior to delivery. The case was filed on November 26 after the baby’s father filed a complaint alleging that the infant was born with multiple severe defects as a result of the doctors’ carelessness.
Dr. Pushpa and Dr. Sherly, who are both connected to the Women and Children’s Hospital in Alappuzha, are named as two of the defendants. Unnamed medical professionals from Shankar’s Health Scans and Diagnostics and Midas Health Care and Scanning Laboratory are the other two defendants. The FIR claims that throughout prenatal care, the doctors overlooked genetic problems in the foetus that may have been found through appropriate diagnostic measures. Sections 125 and 125B of the BNS Act, which deal with careless acts that jeopardies human life or safety, are where the case has been registered.
The Additional Director of Health Services is in charge of the departmental investigation that the health department has started into the issue. The main focus of the investigation will be the claim that the doctors failed to do sufficient tests to identify the genetic problems while the child was still in the womb.
Speaking to the media, the baby’s mother conveyed her anguish at having given birth to a kid with severe birth defects. According to reports, the newborn’s genitalia are severely malformed, and it is unable to open its eyes. According to the mother, she had several scans and saw several doctors, but none of them told her about any issues.
The mother was mostly treated by Dr. Pushpa during her pregnancy, and he suggested three scans at Midas Health Care in March, April, and May. She later consulted Dr. Sherly, who suggested more screening at Shankar’s Health Scans from July to early November. Despite reviewing these data, Dr. Sherly apparently could not find any issues with the foetus. The woman was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital on October 30 in order to give birth, per Dr. Sherly’s advice. But after three days, an abnormal heartbeat in the foetus led to her being sent to the hospital. On November 8, the baby was delivered via caesarean section.
The case has sparked questions over the mother’s prenatal care quality and potential carelessness in identifying avoidable genetic abnormalities that might have guided prenatal medical decisions.
SOURCE :
THE INDIAN EXPRESS
