Infant dies at Jashore General Hospital; family alleges C-section injuries caused death

A newborn died at Jashore 250-bed General Hospital after a Caesarean section on Thursday (20 August), with the family alleging that the baby sustained cuts to the head, lip and other parts of the body during the operation due to negligence by doctors and nurses.

The incident occurred around 10am at the hospital's labour ward, triggering concern among the patient's relatives.

However, hospital authorities denied that the baby's death was caused by injuries sustained during the C-section and said they suspected the baby had died before the operation due to another cause.

According to hospital officials and the family, Sagar Hasan of Raymanik Kachua village in Jashore Sadar took his wife Tazmira to the hospital early Thursday after she went into labour.

After an examination at the emergency department, doctors admitted her to the labour ward and advised an immediate C-section. The operation was performed around 10am under the supervision of gynaecology consultant Dr Ayesha Akter.

After the operation, doctors told the family that they had a baby boy but that his condition was critical. The relatives said they were not initially allowed to see the newborn.

When they later went to the labour ward, nurses told them that the baby had been stillborn. The family said they became suspicious after receiving what they described as inconsistent information from doctors and nurses.

They alleged that when they eventually saw the baby, they found cuts on his head, lip and other parts of his body.

The family also alleged that the doctors left after the operation without properly explaining what had happened.

Rahima Khatun, the baby's maternal aunt, told The Business Standard that Tazmira had been admitted to the hospital five days earlier after the baby stopped moving.

"Doctors conducted several tests at the time and told us that both the mother and baby were doing well," she said.

Rahima said the family later took Tazmira to the hospital after she developed labour pains and agreed to a C-section on medical advice.

"After the C-section, they did not show us the baby even once. If the baby had already died, why did they not tell us immediately?" she said.

She alleged that when the family was allowed to see the baby about three hours later, they found injuries on the newborn's head and other parts of the body.

Rahima said the family took the baby to another hospital after noticing movement and later to a private clinic, where doctors confirmed that the baby had died.

The baby's father, Sagar Hasan, alleged that doctors took his wife into the operating theatre and handed over the newborn about three hours later with injuries to the head.

He accused the hospital staff of negligence and called for a proper investigation into the incident.

"We were all overjoyed because this was our first child. Both families were celebrating. Now what will I tell everyone?" he said.

However, denying the allegations, the hospital's Medical Officer Dr Ahsan Kabir Bappi told TBS that the injuries visible on the newborn's body did not appear to have been caused by the C-section.

"The marks of injury seen on the newborn's body are not from the cuts made during the C-section. We suspect that the baby may have died before the operation for another reason," he said.

He said the family had been asked to submit a written complaint.

"An investigation will determine the actual cause of the baby's death. If negligence by the doctors, nurses or anyone else involved is established, action will be taken," he added.