Family members of a couple whose newborn child died at the Erode Government Hospital staged a protest on the Hospital premises here on Tuesday. They also damaged a few hospital properties.
Mangayakarasi (23), wife of Sampath (26) from Adayanpalayam in Nasiyanur, delivered a boy at the Erode Government Hospital on December 19. According to hospital authorities, Mangayakarisi breast fed the baby around 7 a.m. on December 21. As she agreed to undergo family planning surgery, she was taken to the operation theatre by the Hospital staff and the newborn was left in the care of nurses and staff there. While the nurses checked upon the child after a while, they found the baby dead.
Hospital staff immediately informed Mangayakarasi and the surgery was cancelled. However, family members, who were waiting outside the newborn ward, picked a quarrel with the staff. In a fit of rage, they broke some glass panes at the hospital and staged a protest in front of the Hospital alleging that poor treatment led to the newborn’s death. Hospital authorities said the cause of death could be ascertained only after autopsy.