Timely treatment is necessary for saving lives. At the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, the doctors did not give proper attention to an injured boy, which resulted in the loss of his life.

The parents of the boy are from Gonibeedu in Sakleshpur, Karnataka. The boy tumbled from his mother’s hand from a height of 10 feet and suffered head injuries. Immediately, the child was moved from Hasan Government Hospital to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences [NIMHANS], Bengaluru, through an ambulance. The route covers a distance of 200 kilometers. Generally, this route has busy traffic and requires at least three hours to travel. But, at that time, there was no traffic, and the ambulance managed to reach the NIMHANS within one hour and forty minutes, saving time. However, the doctors at NIMHANS did not provide timely treatment for the injuries, and the boy died. The parents of the child had already notified the NIMHANS about the critical situation and needed a bed. After the ambulance reached the NIMHANS hospital, treatment was not provided immediately. The treatment was delayed for forty minutes.

It created resentment and broke an argument between the ambulance driver and the doctor, which resulted in the interference of the police. Thereafter, quick action was taken by the doctor. They took the child inside the hospital, but the child's oxygen levels had already fallen, which resulted in the death of the child. The child’s family claimed that if the doctors had taken quick action, the child would have been alive. However, the authorities at NIMHANS said that they had already informed the child's parents that there was a poor prognosis and no availability of a ventilator bed.

While taking the child to the hospital, six ambulances accompanied the child's family from Nelamangala to NIMHANS, counting on immediate medical treatment. But the doctor’s negligence cost the child's life.

(Input from various media sources) 

(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina)