13- yr- old dies due to ‘ lack’ of ventilators

Parents of teen with brain damage allege negligence on part of Safdarjung Hospital staff

Parents of a 13- year- old girl, who died on Monday night at Safdarjung Hospital, have alleged that their daughter died due to lack of ventilators at the Centre- run institute.

The teenage girl was admitted to the hospital’s neurosurgery department on February 7 with brain damage.

“The doctors said that she needed to undergo an operation soon, but we did not get a date. She was finally operated upon on March 1 and her condition seemed to improve initially,” said Vinod Kumar, the father of the deceased.

However, the condition of the 13- year- old started deteriorating on Monday morning.

“The doctors, who were treating her, had asked the junior doctors on duty to conduct some tests. But no one did that and she started developing breathing issues by afternoon,” said Mr Kumar.

The father, who works as a mason, alleged that the family was handed a selfinflating bag ( ambu bag) to pump air into the girl, which they did for several hours.

“She was unconscious. When her hands and feet turned cold, I called the doctor.

“He told us that our daughter was no more,” he said, alleging that the doctors on duty did not pay attention when her condition worsened.

The hospital, however, denied the incident and said that they had increased the number of ventilators recently.

“There was no such death in the hospital on Monday night. There was a similar case, but the girl was shifted to another hospital by the family,” said a doctor in the casualty ward, who did not wish to be identified.

However, a receipt issued by the hospital authorities confirms that the girl was admitted in the hospital and died on March 5.

“I had brought new clothes for her when her condition started to improve a few days ago, but she said she will wear those once she was discharged from the hospital. Now she is gone and I can’t believe that two days ago we were happily waiting for her to be discharged,” said an inconsolable Mr Kumar.