Chhattisgarh: Child dies after surgery; FIR against 3 doctors

A five-year-old boy has died aftera hernia surgery in Chhattisgarh's Korba district followingwhich police have registered an FIR against three doctors,including a government surgeon, for alleged negligence,officials said on Tuesday.

No arrest has been made so far and police areconducting an investigation into the case, they said.

The district Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO)has also been asked to constitute a team of senior doctors toconduct a probe into the case and submit a report, Korba'sAdditional Superintendent of Police Kirtan Rathore said.

As per a police complaint lodged by the boy's father,who is a labourer from Belgari Basti locality here, he hadtaken his son to the district hospital on January 6 where asurgeon told him that the child was suffering from hernia, andadvised a sonography test.

Later, the surgeon told them that the child requiredurgent surgery and decided to conduct the operation at aprivate hospital here, citing that the government hospitallacks adequate facilities, station house officer of Balcopolice station, Rakesh Mishra, said quoting the complaint.

On January 9, during the operation, being performedby the surgeon and one other doctor at the private hospital,when the man asked the surgeon about his son's healthcondition, the doctor said the child had stopped breathing.

Another doctor was also present there, the official said.

The boy's father in his complaint alleged that later,without consulting him, they shifted the child to anotherprivate hospital where doctors said the child was brought in aserious condition and died.

He accused the three doctors of negligence and causingthe death of his child, the police official said.

An FIR was registered against the three doctors onSunday under Indian Penal Code Sections 304-A (causing deathby negligence) and 34 (common intention), he said.

No arrest has been made so far and further action willbe taken after a probe into the case, he said.

When contacted, the district hospital's surgeonrefused to comment on the matter.