Treated by a 'drunk' doctor, 1.5-year-old dies in hospital

Barabanki, Sep 27: A one-and-a-half year old girl brought to a government hospital here for treatment died after being attended by a doctor who was allegedly in an inebriated state.

According to the family, the incident happened on Sunday when the girl was taken to a hospital in Sirauli Gauspur area after a corn got stuck in her throat. The family has alleged that Dr. Dharmendra Gupta was not present in the hospital during his duty hours at night.

He reached there an hour later in an inebriated state and attended the child, leading to her death. The Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of Sirauli Gauspur, Dr. Neelum Gupta said Gupta has been removed from duty and a team of three doctors has started investigation into the matter.

The family members and villagers held a protest after Gupta allegedly insulted the family and suggested that the girl’s mother give birth to another child. A purported video of the incident surfaced on social media.

Chief Medical Officer Awadhesh Kumar Yadav said on Tuesday that the video is of Gupta, posted in Tehsil Sirauli Gauspur. A committee has been formed and investigation is being done against the doctor on the allegation of indecent language and negligence made by the relatives of the victim, he said.

Strict action will be taken if he is found guilty in the investigation, he said. Badosarai police station in-charge Amit Mishra said that he is aware of the matter but no complaint has been received in the matter yet.