Tripura baby's death blamed on 'careless' Covid-19 testing, probe on

Agartala (IANS) The father of a 3-day-old baby, who died in a Tripura government-run medical college, on Thursday alleged that he began bleeding after a nurse "carelessly" inserted a nasal tube to take samples for a Covid-19 test.

Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital Superintendent Debashish Roy told IANS that a three-member committee was formed to probe the death and related matters.

"The committee, comprising senior doctors, would submit their report in the middle of next week. However, the family members of the kid are yet to submit any formal complaint over the incident," Roy said.

The newborn's father Diptanu Saha told the media that on Wednesday afternoon, a nurse had came to take the swab samples of his son after his wife tested positive for coronavirus.

"Soon after the nurse carelessly inserted the cotton contained tube, the baby began bleeding from the nose and died after a few hours," he said.

Saha and his wife alleged that medical negligence of the doctors and health workers caused their first child's death.

State Covid-19 Surveillance Officer Deep Debbarma, meanwhile, told IANS that the child has tested negative for the deadly virus.

Health and Family Welfare Department Director Radha Debbarma told IANS that they would inquire the matter separately if they receive a complaint from the family.

The opposition Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday took out protest rallies against the alleged medical negligence and demanded stern action against the guilty health staff over the baby's death.