NHRC notice to Rajasthan govt after baby decapitated in botched-up delivery

The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Rajasthan government after reports that a male nurse at a government health centre pulled out at a foetus so hard during delivery that it broke into two parts.

The incident took place at Ramgarh in Jaisalmer district. An autopsy report revealed that the baby’s legs were fractured and liver ruptured as the two untrained male staff botched-up the delivery.

The two accused deposited the lower part of the foetus in the hospital’s mortuary and asked the family to take the woman to Jaisalmer.

Amritlal and Junjhar Singh, who the boy’s father has alleged were drunk at the time of the delivery on January 6, are yet to be arrested. They have been suspended and the officer in charge of the health centre Dr Nikhil Sharma has been removed from duty.

The doctor who conducted the postmortem, Surendra Duggar, said that he got the body in three pieces: head, torso and placenta.

“The nursing staff applied so much force that it not only broke into two parts but also caused multiple fractures in legs and liver got burst. We also have carried out a floating test of lungs which revealed that the baby was dead,” he said.

The chief medical and health officer in Jaisalmer Dr BL Bunkar said Amritlal and Junjhar Singh were not trained birth attendants. Only skilled birth attendant can conduct deliveries, according to government norms.

“A skilled birth attendant and a doctor were available at the Ramgarh hospital but they did not inform them and conducted the delivery on their own,” Dr Bunkar said.

He added that Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma had sought the detailed report of the incident.The minister said a committee has been constituted to probe the death of the baby.

First Published: Jan 15, 2019 14:17 IST