JAJPUR: Tension ran high at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) here on Monday over the death of a one-year-old boy with grieving parents and relatives alleging medical negligence and procedural delays at the government-run healthcare facility.
Grieving family members of the deceased toddler staged protest on the hospital premises leading to heated altercations. The situation escalated into a scuffle between the family members and the hospital staff, prompting the police to intervene.
Sources said Narayan Mallick of Kacherigaon village under Jajpur Sadar police limits brought his son, who was reportedly suffering from high fever, to the casualty department of the DHH on the day. However, he and his wife were allegedly made to move from one department to another with their ailing toddler without any clear direction.
“I brought my ailing child to the doctor’s cabin, but the attendant asked me to take him to another department. Upon reaching there, I found that the doctor was absent and the staff on duty asked me to take him back to the same cabin. This continued, and we lost an hour moving around aimlessly,” alleged Narayan.