Medical negligence of two nurses caused infant’s death

Rajkot: A nurse and a trainee nurse at the state-run Janana Hospital for children in Rajkot have been found guilty of medical negligence, which caused the death of a 5.5-month-old boy in July.
An investigation by the hospital authorities found that the trainee nurse, Pintoo Fangaliya, under the instruction of nurse Ekta Rathod, injected medication meant for use in a nebuliser into the infant's leg on July 4.This resulted in the death of the baby, who was recovering from pneumonia and tuberculosis infection in the paediatric ward.
Based on the probe report and the complaint filed by the infant's mother, Sonam Kushwaha (28), Rajkot A-Division police on Thursday booked Rathod and Fangaliya, a student of nursing in a city college, for causing death by negligence (section 106 (1) of the BNS).
According to the case details, the infant's parents are natives of Champaran in Bihar and live in Gondal town of Rajkot district. The infant's father works as a welder. The couple has an elder son who is five years old.
In June, the infant developed a fever and was initially admitted to a hospital in Gondal, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and TB. He was then shifted to Janana Hospital on June 4.
The doctor there prescribed a nebulizer three times a day. However, on July 4, at about 1.30pm, Rathod instructed Fangaliya to inject the medicine meant for inhaling into the infant. The infant's mother objected, but her concerns were disregarded, and the injection was administered.
This caused the infant's condition to deteriorate rapidly, and he was admitted to the paediatric ICU, where he died during treatment.
Following the incident, a case of accidental death was registered under section 194 of the BNS at the A-Division police station in Rajkot.
During the police investigation, it was revealed that the infant's death was a result of medical negligence by Rathod and Fangaliya.