Zeenews Bureau
Jalandhar: In a shocking incident that has put humanity to shame, a newborn girl child died at a government hospital in Jalandhar after doctors removed her from the incubator because her parents could not pay Rs 200.
The girl child was born on July 20. Being a premature baby, she needed incubator support. However, civil hospital authorities asked her father to arrange money - to pay the electricity charges to run incubator – to continue keeping the baby in incubator.
A painter by profession, Sanjiv Kumar, could not arrange Rs 200 demanded by the hospital. The poor man asked many people to lend him money but no one came forward to help.
Despite Kumar’s inability to pay Rs 200, hospital authorities, showing no empathy, removed the incubator leading to the death of the baby on Wednesday night.
Kumar said, "The baby was very ill. They (hospital authorities) asked us to deposit Rs 200 first. We begged and pleaded them to admit our child but they refused."
He also alleged that the glucose drip was also removed from the baby for non payment of dues.
The child’s mother Sunita is inconsolable. “They killed my child,” she said.
Hospital CMO says that he can’t believe that an incident like this can happen. He has asked the baby’s father to submit a complaint and then he will look into the matter.
Meanwhile, the state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The incident marks a new low in the absolute lack of compassion in our society. A baby loses life for Rs 200, what next?
First Published: Thursday, July 26, 2012, 09:47