SRINAGAR: In an interesting development, the authorities have decided to exhume a baby girl to take samples for establishing her paternity so that it helps settle a dispute involving SKIMS hospital Bemina and a grieving mother. The exhumation is likely to take place today.
On November 3, a family from Patlibagh area Budgam said a baby boy was born to their daughter-in-law. They were congratulated by the staff and the hospital. However, the baby was required to be kept in neonatal intensive care unit, an area where the attendants are usually not permitted
After 13 days, they alleged that the hospital staff informed them that the baby is no more and handed over to them a body. They took it home for burial and while giving it the funeral bath, they were told it was a baby girl. After burying the baby, they returned to hospital and told them that while they took a baby boy from them why they returned a dead baby girl. Interestingly, the family claims to have written documents issued by the JVC Hospital that they had a baby boy.
This triggered a dispute.
Now the authorities are trying to establish the paternity of the dead baby girl. If it is established that she does not belong to the Patlibagh family, the second step would be to locate the missing baby boy.
Earlier, SKIMS Hospital, Medical Superintendent, Dr Shifa Deva had said that a lady, identified as Rukhsana, was admitted to the hospital on November 3. She was treated by a senior surgeon for left Ventricular failure. She later gave birth to a female baby who was intubated as baby was having peri-natal asphyxia. She claimed the family had got it registered in MRD that they had a baby boy and not the hospital.
Now the dispute will be resolved only after the dead baby’s paternity is established.
