2-day-old boy succumbs to burns in Pune

Pune: A two-day-old boy, who suffered 90 per cent burns in the warmer of a Pune-based private hospital on Tuesday, succumbed to his injuries early on Thursday.

The infant was kept in the machine, as he could not breathe; however, it exploded due to a short circuit. The police has arrested Dr Gaurav Chopade of Vatsalya Hospital for negligence, while the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), taking suo-motu action, shut down the hospital and directed its authorities not to admit patients.

The father of the baby, Vijendra Vilas Kadam — in the FIR he filed at Vishrambaug police station — said he had admitted his wife to Vatsalya Hospital at Budhwar Peth, Pune on September 26 and she had a caesarean delivery the same day.

Police inspector V.N. Shinde of the Vishrambaug police station, said, “As per the complaint, when the complainant’s relatives saw the baby it was fine, but as they were leaving the ward they heard an explosion. On returning they saw that the warmer had exploded.”

The grieving father told The Asian Age, “The baby was later sent to another private hospital for treatment and was in a critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries at 2 am today.”

Stating that the Pune civic body had asked the hospital not to admit patients, Dr Vaishali Jadhav, medical officer, PMC, said, “We have sent letter to the hospital informing it that its registration under the Bombay Nursing Act was cancelled.”

Meanwhile, a sessions court remanded Dr Chopade in police custody for five days.