Protest against compounder for declaring alive baby dead without proper verification.
An incident took place in the Muttuck Tea Estate in Dibrugarh district of Assam on Sunday noon after a two month old baby was brought to the garden hospital by his parents. Since there were no doctors or nurses were available at that time, Gautam Mitra, a compounder attended the patient and declared him dead.
Later, when baby was bought home and were preparing for his last rites, the baby suddenly started moving in his mother’s lap. He was once again taken to the garden hospital from where he was shifted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) where he was declared dead after few hours on arrival.
“The sick child, a boy aged less than one year, was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead by the compounder. The doctor of the hospital was absent at that time. But when the family was about to bury the body of the child, it started moving. The distraught parents, who were workers at the tea estate, was then rushed to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), where it was declared brought dead on arrival,” said Hrishikesh Hazarika, in charge of Lahowal police station.
On Sunday night, around 1,200 workers protested against the hospital. Protestors broke a fire at child care unit of Assam Medical College and Hospital that triggered a stampede in the hospital following which patients were shifted to a safer place.
“Maybe the child would have survived if the compounder hadn’t declared him dead and the parents had enough time to take him to a bigger hospital. We have lodged an FIR and arrested the compounder Gautam Mitra as he is not authorized to pronounce anyone dead,” police incharge Hazarika added.
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