The death of an eight-year-old girl at the Associated Hospital Handwara has stirred allegations of medical negligence from the family, who call for strict action against those responsible.
According to the family, their daughter Rutba Reyaz was brought to the hospital due to diarrhoea, but they claim the doctors on duty did not give her proper attention and only administered antibiotic medication.
Reyaz Ahmad, the father of the deceased, who works in the police department, said they repeatedly visited the doctors, expressing concern that their daughter was not showing signs of improvement. He claimed that despite their pleas, the doctors present did not attend to her, which ultimately led to the loss of their beloved daughter.
Ahmad described the situation as complete negligence, insisting that no one should die from diarrhoea. Had the doctors shifted her to hospitals in Baramulla or Srinagar, she might have survived,” he said.
The father has called for action against the doctors who failed to attend to her despite repeated pleas.
In response to the incident, Dr Aijaz, the Deputy Medical Superintendent, said they have formed a team comprising senior doctors to investigate the matter. He assured that if any negligence is found, strict action will be taken against those found guilty.
Patients at the hospital have been consistently complaining about the administration’s reliance on interns and the unavailability of senior doctors and paramedical staff. They claim that similar incidents have occurred in the past without any repercussions from the authorities.
The patients allege that doctors at the hospital pay insufficient attention to patients and sometimes behave rudely towards them.
Bashir Ahmad, a local of Handwara, recounted his recent experience at the hospital, where doctors prescribed tests for his baby but faced difficulties in getting the samples collected. “This indicates a lack of efficient coordination within the hospital’s operations,” he said.