Newborn girl found alive after being declared dead' at Delhi hospital critical

The newborn baby who was allegedly "declared dead" soon after birth at the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital and was later found alive continues to be critical and on ventilator, officials said on Tuesday.

The infant, born when her mother was 23 weeks pregnant and weighing only 490 grams, was found alive when the family was making plans for her burial.

"The baby continues to be critical and on ventilator support. She is being monitored," a senior doctor at the hospital said.

Another doctor said the chances of the baby's survival are 'slim'.

He said in medical terms, such pregnancies are considered non-viable.

The hospital has constituted a three-member panel to probe the incident and the report will be submitted on Wednesday, the doctor said.

The doctor said the panel has spoken to doctors who were on duty that day to ascertain the sequence of events.

The family of the baby said they will file a police complaint in the matter.

"The baby is not on ventilator. Instead she is just admitted to the nursery. We will file a police complaint today and want the erring doctors to be punished," the family said.

"We want an FIR to be registered in the matter and also want that the doctors who declared my niece dead be suspended," Mohammed Salman, the baby's uncle, told PTI over phone.

The baby's 35-year-old mother has another daughter, aged three.

The baby's father works in the business of simple toolmaking, the family said.

"The baby was handed over to us in a box and we took her to our home in New Mustafabad. We had started making preparations for her burial and ordered to prepare a grave for her. Around 7.30 pm, when we opened the box, we saw the baby moving her legs and arms. We immediately rushed her back to hospital," an aggrieved Salman had said on Monday.

The hospital has said such babies are considered 'aborted babies' and after the baby showed signs of life, she was immediately put on life support.

The 2,000-bed LNJP Hospital was the mainstay of the government's fight against the coronavirus pandemic.