New Delhi: The LNJP Hospital has constituted a panel for framing guidelines for child births that take place before the completion of 24-weeks of pregnancy, officials said on Friday. The move comes in the wake of the recent incident in which a newborn baby, who was "declared dead" soon after birth, but was later found alive.
The premature baby, born when her mother was 23-weeks pregnant and weighing only 490 grams, was found alive on Sunday when the family was making plans for her burial. She was brought back to the state-run hospital and was put on ventilator support and she died on Wednesday. Doctors had earlier said, such babies in medical terms are considered "non-viable" and their chances of survival are slim.
"We are making guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on how to handle such babies. The guidelines will be submitted to the government," said LNJP medical director Dr Suresh Kumar. Another official from the hospital said there are no norms for government hospitals in such cases. A panel constituted by the hospital had recommended setting up a committee to form guidelines on the issue. It was a fact-finding committee that ascertained the sequence of events, right from the time the woman was admitted till the time the baby was on ventilator and her subsequent death, he added.
Kumar said following the incident, a doctor and two nurses who were on duty that day have been suspended. "We will also be writing to the Delhi Medical Council to conduct an inquiry into the matter," he added. The body of the three-day old baby was handed over to the family following a post-mortem. The hospital has said such babies are considered 'aborted babies' and after the baby showed signs of life, she was immediately put on life support. (PTI)
