The parents of a critically ill eight-day-old girl child were subjected to a traumatic ordeal on Wednesday when they were told by the doctors of a corporate hospital that they should take away the baby, which was on a ventilator, because chances of survival were poor.
Believing the end to be inevitable, the shell-shocked parents took the baby to a burial ground only to see the infant still breathing two hours later. The baby was frantically rushed to the Government General Hospital for treatment. Eluri Chennakeswara Raju, 26, brought his new-born baby from Chintapalli in West Godavari district for treatment after she developed fits and admitted her in Rainbow Hospital for Women and Children here on Sunday. Raju ekes out a living doing odd jobs and bartering onions for metal and plastic items.
The hospital admitted the child and conducted several diagnostic investigations and sent her for an MRI of the brain to the adjoining Aayush Hospital. The baby was first put on oxygen and later on a ventilator when her condition started to deteriorate.
On Wednesday the hospital authorities reportedly advised the family that there was nothing further they could do as chances of survival were slim once ventilator support was removed. The family was asked to pay a bill of nearly Rs. 1 lakh.
After the ventilator support was removed, the hospital even arranged an auto-rickshaw for the family. The baby was taken to a burial ground for the final rites. However, people at the burial ground noticed that the baby was alive and called for an ambulance. The baby was rushed to the Dr N.T.R. Government General Hospital and was put on the ventilator in the special ward for children as it was “gasping for breath”.
The resident medical officer of the government hospital said the chances of the baby’s survival were bleak.
