Death of a 15-month-old child sparks controversy in Visakhapatnam

On Tuesday, The King George Hospital (KGH), in Visakhapatnam, witnessed the death of a 15-month-old girl child due to Covid-19. The child had shown symptoms of fever and had been unwell before she tested positive. Her parents apparently begged the hospital staff for an hour to treat her. By the time she was finally admitted by the staff, it was already too late and she died.

According to KGH Superintendent Dr. P V Sudhakar, the baby girl was admitted to KGH’s CSR block on Tuesday.  The baby was critical, at the time of admission, and was immediately examined by a pediatrician without any negligence. The CSR block facility contains 500 beds and 175 ventilators.

However, the parents of the child accused the KGH staff of undue delay in admission and treatment of the baby girl. Veera Babu, the child’s father, clarifies that the baby girl tested negative in a regional hospital in Anakapalle and was brought to KGH after her fever didn’t subside. In an RT-PCR test, prescribed by KGH, it was identified that the baby had tested positive.

In a video that went viral on social media in Visakhapatnam post the death of the child, it was seen that the child’s father was pumping Oxygen trying to save her while her mother was crying beside the child in a helpless situation. Meanwhile, relatives of the child were making all their attempts to get her treated immediately.

The baby girl passed away at 5:10 PM on Tuesday, despite various attempts by a team of doctors to help her. Soon after the child’s death, relatives of the 15-month-old allegedly argued with the hospital authorities about the delay in admitting the child, which they believe is the cause for her death.

The second wave of Covid-19 in India is not just impacting the elderly but also kids as well, especially younger ones, who are in critical condition at hospitals. With initial symptoms of fever, cold and cough found, there are cases when the child is developing severe pneumonia if neglected. “We are seeing children as young as 3 months old being treated for Covid-19 in hospitals. There are cases being registered in kids with initial symptoms of fever, cold, sore throat. We advise parents to take necessary precautions on not exposing their children to outside environments”, said Dr. B Rama Vani, Pediatrician at a private hospital.