New Delhi, 06 July (H.S.):

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports concerning the death of a newborn allegedly caused by the non-availability of ventilator support for nearly 24 hours across three hospitals in Haryana's Hisar and Rohtak districts. The Commission has issued a notice to the state's Chief Secretary, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.

According to published reports, the infant was born through a Caesarean section at Hisar Civil Hospital on July 1 and required immediate ventilator support. While the child's mother remained admitted at the Civil Hospital, doctors referred the newborn to the Medical College at Agroha in Hisar district.

After it was confirmed that ventilator support was also unavailable at the Agroha facility, the infant was referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak. However, a ventilator could not be arranged there either.

The newborn was subsequently brought back to Hisar and admitted to a private hospital, where doctors declared the infant dead.

Taking serious note of the reported incident, the NHRC has sought a comprehensive report from the Haryana government, observing that the matter raises concerns regarding the availability of critical neonatal healthcare services.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar