Infant death at GMCH exposes staff shortage

Guwahati: The death of a four-day-old infant at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on August 18 has highlighted severe staffing shortages and "systemic failures". The All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF) has penned a letter to Union health minister JP Nadda, urging immediate action to address the critical shortage of nurses at the state's largest hospital.The incident, which occurred when the infant fell from a cot in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), has led to the suspension of seven health staff, including four doctors, for dereliction of duty. An inquiry report submitted by Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences revealed that Dr Hrishikesh Thakuria and Dr Pooja, both postgraduate trainees, "failed miserably" in their duties and allegedly attempted to mislead the investigation by manipulating hospital records.Despite the GMCH authority's recent suspension of four doctors, including the head of pediatrics, Prof. (Dr) Anupama Deka, nurses have been vocal about the "unfair blame" placed on a staff nurse, Bhanupriya Misong. The AIGNF's letter emphasizes that the incident was a result of "systemic failures" rather than individual negligence.In the suspension letters, Deka and another associate professor, Dr Dipankar Hazarika, were blamed for failing to provide leadership and necessary monitoring, which led to the tragic incident.The hospital, which has a bed capacity comparable to 3,200 AIIMS Delhi, operates with only 700 to 800 nurses, a stark contrast to AIIMS's nearly 6,000. Nurses have long reported difficulties in securing adequate medical staff during night shifts. "We struggled to get doctors in case of an emergency at night. That was several years ago. But the situation has not changed much, and it came to light during the inquiry of the probe panel recently," a nurse told TOI.The govt has demanded a compliance report from GMCH principal, Prof. (Dr) Achyut Baishya, to ensure that safety protocols and standard operating procedures are strictly followed.