A video purportedly showing a baby girl on oxygen support being carried in arms of a man, later identified as her father, apparently due to lack of a stretcher at a state-run hospital here, has created a buzz.
After the incident took place at the Niloufer Hospital yesterday, the authorities today terminated the services of a ward boy.
However, they rubbished the media reports attributing the incident to the lack of stretchers at the hospital.
According to Niloufer Hospital Superintendent Dr K Ramesh Reddy, the girl, aged around 18 months, was admitted to the hospital yesterday for respiratory problem and was being shifted to another building in the premises for taking x-ray.
She was in the arms of her father while the oxygen cylinder was being carried by an employee who is working on the contractual basis at the hospital.
"The media reports projecting non-availability of stretchers at the hospital are absolutely wrong. We have enough number of stretchers. Wherever there are patients next to the wards, we have adequate number of stretchers and wheel chairs," Reddy told reporters.
He termed "wrong" the media reports stating that both the persons (in the video), along with the baby, are attendants of the patient.
"The person (ward boy) carrying an oxygen cylinder is a contract employee while the person holding the baby in his arms is her parent.
"The ward boy was supposed to make the parent sit in a wheel chair along the baby, but without the notice of the sister (nurse) and doctors working there, the baby was shifted to another block of the hospital," Reddy said.
He said that following the media reports, he called and questioned the ward boy.
"It was found that the ward boy had erred. We have asked for removal of his services," Reddy said, adding that care will be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Clear instructions have been given to all the hospital staff that no patient should be carried in this manner again in this premises, he added.
"Stretchers with oxygen facilities are also available in the hospital and in the case of patients who are one or two-year-old children, then mother be made to sit in wheel chair and baby in her lap while moving from one block to another building," the superintendent added.
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