A five-day-old newborn girl died after being kept in direct sunlight for nearly 30 minutes in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri allegedly on the advice of a doctor.
The incident led to widespread outrage in the city, with the family of the child accusing the doctor of “gross negligence”.
According to Mainpuri’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr RC Gupta, the incident occurred at Sri Sai Hospital, situated on Radha Raman Road in the city.
Rita Devi, a resident of Mainpuri’s Bhugai village, gave birth to a baby girl through C-section five days ago at the hospital. On Wednesday, May 15, the newborn exhibited some health issues, prompting a doctor at the hospital to advise the family to keep the baby in direct sunlight for half an hour.
According to the family, they followed the doctor’s advice and placed the infant on the hospital roof at 11.10 am. The family members took the baby downstairs after 30 minutes. However, after some time, the baby died.
According to medical experts, sun exposure is a common practice to prevent neonatal jaundice. But, it must be done with caution, especially during high temperatures.
The infant’s death was due to heatstroke and excessive and unmonitored exposure to the sun in the scorching heat, they added.
After the incident, the doctor who provided the advice reportedly fled the hospital. In addition, Rita Devi was also forcefully discharged from the hospital after the incident, the family members said.
Speaking about the incident, CMO Dr RC Gupta said that a probe has been launched to look into the incident and the action will be taken after that.
“Information was received about the death of the girl. If the allegations are true, then it is gross negligence. Action will be taken after investigation,” Dr Gupta said.