21 day old girl died in aWest Bengalhospital after a man, who was employed as a cleaner, drunkenly removed her oxygen mask.
The incident took place on 17 December at theCalcuttaMedicalCollege, where the infant was born.
Mr Raut, a member of the group-D staff, removed the mask at 9.30, despite objections from the girl’s family.
Shobha Das, the baby’s mother told theHindustannewspaper that the cleaner claimed to know what he was doing.
She said, “The cleaner took the mask off when he came to sweep the floor. When we objected, he asked us to keep quiet and said he knew what he was doing.”
Although the cleaner was drunk, a nurse dismissed their complaints when their child was experiencing difficulties in breathing.
“We could make out that he was drunk. When we saw the baby was having trouble breathing, we went to complain to the nurse, who turned us away.”
Mrs Das said that her daughter was diagnosed with a gastritis problem and she has taken her to the hospital, where she was “perfectly all right.”
She and her family went to Bowbazar police station to file a complaint, but after officers told them that their inquiry would lead to an autopsy, they withdrew their complaint.
A family member said that they did not want “such a small baby’s body to be cut up.”
TheCalcuttaMedicalCollegesuperintendent and vice-principal said she will inquire further.
