The family of a 12-year-old boy, who died at Hyderabad’s Niloufer hospital on April 9, has alleged negligence against the hospital for delaying the child’s treatment.

According to them, the boy had allegedly sustained serious injuries to his abdomen after he fell off his bicycle on April 8. While his family rushed him to the hospital the same day around noon, his surgery was allegedly delayed by the hospital. The boy passed away around 8.30 am on April 9 morning.

A medicolegal case has been lodged at the Nampally police station. “We are awaiting the post-mortem results before any further action is taken. Only with the results of the post-mortem will be able to say anything for sure,” stated SI Goud.

Family alleges delay in treatment

The boy’s uncle told TNM that they brought the victim to Niloufer hospital at around 12 noon on April 8. Doctors who attended to him at the time said that his condition was serious. However, it was only around 4 pm that the family was allegedly told that the boy would require immediate surgery.  

“Some time after that, they told us to arrange for blood for his operation from a particular blood bank. Since that was a bit far, it took some time for us do so,” the boy's uncle said. “It was around 10 in the night when we arranged everything for the surgery. But we were still told to wait because the doctor was seeing another patient, and that the boy’s surgery would happen at 12 midnight.”

Later however, the family was told that doctor had left and the boy’s operation would be postponed to the morning. “They started arguing saying that the doctor had waited for us and then left because we didn’t come back in time. But what could we do? We had to arrange for the blood and we went to the place they told us to go to!” the uncle alleges.

“Then, they told us they would take him for surgery at 8 am, then postponed it again by an hour. When we questioned them, they said that the night duty doctor, who was supposed to do the surgery, wasn’t there,” the boy's uncle recounts.

Hospital denies allegations

The hospital recounted a varied version of events to TNM. According to the medical superintendent of Niloufer Hospital, Dr Murali Krishna, the boy had sustained the injury on April 7, not April 8. Dr Krishna said that the boy’s family took him to a private hospital first.

“He had received initial treatment at another hospital and then was brought here. By the time we saw him, there was peritonitis, infection and all. We had to wait to stabilise him before he could be taken up for surgery; but unfortunately, he was in a critical state and only so much could be done,” Dr Krishna said. Peritonitis is an inflammation of the abdominal tissues, usually brought on by injury or infection.

This story was originally published on The News Minute and is reprinted here with permission. It can be viewed on  https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/hyd-12-yr-old-succumbs-after-he-falls-bicycle-family-alleges-hospital-negligence-99742