Guwahati: The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Assam’s largest government-run hospital, has suspended five staff members, including the Head of the Paediatrics Department, and expelled two postgraduate trainees for negligence following the death of a four-day-old infant inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Tragic Incident
The newborn, admitted on August 15 for jaundice treatment, reportedly fell from a phototherapy bed on August 18 and got entangled in wires. Shockingly, no staff member was present in the NICU at the time. While another infant who slipped survived, the baby girl could not be revived despite resuscitation efforts.
Inquiry Findings
A three-member inquiry committee comprising Additional Chief Secretary Sweety Changsan, Director of Medical Education Dr. Anup Barman, and AIIMS Guwahati Paediatrics HoD Dr. Jaya Shankar Kaushik found seven personnel guilty of negligence, misleading the probe, and manipulating hospital records.
Disciplinary Action
Acting on the report, GMCH suspended:
- Dr. Anupama Deka, Head of Paediatrics
- Dr. Dipangkar Hazarika, Associate Professor, Paediatrics
- Nurses Gomti Devi and Chandana Nath
- ICU technician Ishanjyoti Talukdar
Additionally, postgraduate trainees Dr. Hrishikesh Thakuria (2nd year) and Dr. Pooja Saikia (1st year), affiliated with Srimanta Sankardeva University of Health Sciences, were expelled for six months.
The accused will face departmental inquiries from the Medical Education and Research Department, the Directorate of Health Services, and the University.
Legal and Administrative Action
Soon after the incident, duty nurse Bhanupriya Misong was arrested on charges of culpable homicide. The case has sparked public outrage over safety lapses in neonatal care at the state’s premier medical institution.
Govt Warning to GMCH
Health Commissioner and Secretary Siddharth Singh, in a strongly worded letter to GMCH Superintendent Dr. Achyut Baishya and Additional Superintendent Pradip Kumar Das, directed the hospital to strengthen supervision, strictly enforce safety protocols, and submit a compliance report immediately.
“You are also directed to be careful in the future and ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” the letter warned, stressing accountability at the highest levels.
