Inhumane! Rs 30 costs 10-month-old baby his life

In a shocking incident, a 10-month-old baby died in a Uttar Pradesh government hospital in Bahraich allegedly after he was not given timely treatment by the staff as his parents could not pay the bribe demanded by them, triggering an outrage that prompted Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to remove the chief medical superintendent.

The infant's father, Shivdutt, a daily wage earner, alleged that Krishna died because the hospital staff delayed administering a crucial injection to him and wasted time demanding a bribe for providing treatment.

The victim's family also alleged that the infant was given "a wrong injection" by the nurse leading to his death on the morning of August 9 in the Bahraich district hospital, 130 km away from Lucknow.

Taking serious note of the incident, the chief minister issued an order removing the CMS, an official spokesman said in Lucknow.

Akhilesh said that the government was committed to providing better medical facilities to the people and warned that stern action will be taken against insensitive doctors who ignore patients.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the UP government acting on the basis of media reports.

The NHRC notice was issued to the principal secretary of the health and family welfare department seeking a report within four weeks.

Timely treatment in this case, could have saved a precious human life, the NHRC said, adding that the incident raises serious issue of violation of right to life of poor patients, who cannot afford expensive treatment at private hospitals.