Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar today accused the ruling BJP of politicising the death of a newborn after an ambulance, carrying him, allegedly got stuck in a traffic jam caused by a rally of the state Congress unit.
Tanwar also alleged that the authorities had prepared the investigation report in the matter "under pressure". The report had said delay in reaching the hospital caused the infant's death.
He said the private hospital in Sonepat where the child was born "was not even registered and ill equipped to deal with critical cases as the infant was born nearly two months premature".
The child died soon after reaching Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) at Rohtak on Wednesday. He was referred to the institute from Sonepat civil hospital.
Director General, Haryana Health Services, Dr Satish Agarwal had recently submitted the report to Health minister Anil Vij.
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Vij had later said, "It was found in the report that the ambulance was stuck for about 20 to 30 minutes due to jam caused by the cycle rally of the Haryana Pradesh Congress chief Dr Ashok Tanwar...On the basis of these evidences, the main reason for the death of newborn was delay in reaching the hospital."
Denying this, Tanwar claimed that he had already crossed over to another village when the ambulance approached. A way was cleared for it immediately by party volunteers, he said.
The Congress leader said the "premature" baby had been in the private hospital in Sonepat -- where he was born -- for over nine hours. The hospital took time to settle the pending dues with his parents, he claimed.
"Precious time was already lost in the hospital, which referred the newborn to Sonepat's civil hospital, which was at a distance of about 20 kms. The child reached there in the ambulance in the stipulated time, which is the average time it takes to reach there given the traffic conditions. The major delay was not on account of our rally, but due to construction work on four flyovers along the way," said Tanwar.
He said the civil hospital's report had blamed the private hospital for the baby's condition, "but it was changed under pressure from the government".
"The government is silent on action against the private hospital. Nothing is being said how the hospital was allowed to admit such patients for deliveries when it was not registered for this and even ill equipped to handle such cases. Nothing is being said about the ambulance which lacked basic facilities like an oxygen cylinder and paramedical staff...but they are blaming us and targeting me due to political reasons.
"The baby, who was referred to PGIMS, reached there alive, but the FIR registered in the case says he reached there dead. We want to know why is politics being played in the whole thing," Tanwar said.
He said he was pained at the loss of the life.
Tanwar said permission had been taken from the authorities concerned for the 'Cycle Yatra' in Sonepat.
He had taken out the 'Haryana Bachao Parivartan Lao' bicycle rally near Kundli village on the NH 1 targeting the BJP over the Rafale deal.
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