One and a half year old child dies due to lack of bed

Bengaluru : A one-and-a-half-year-old child died allegedly due to head injury due to the apathy of officials of the Bengaluru-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Whereas, a 224 km long ‘Green Corridor’ was arranged from Hassan to Bengaluru. The ambulance driver managed to cover the distance of 224 km from Hassan to Bengaluru in 1 hour 40 minutes and reached NIMHANS. The deceased child of Venkatesh and Jyoti, residents of Basavanagudi, Chikkamagaluru, suffered head injuries at home and was admitted to the district hospital in Hassan. Doctors had advised to take the child to NIMHANS.

The doctors called the administration unit at NIMHANS and informed them about the child’s immediate treatment requirements. However, NIMHANS officials had told the parents that no beds were available. Even when the parents pleaded for beds and treatment to begin, the authorities reportedly did not respond. Meanwhile, the child died in the hospital premises itself. The incident has sparked public outrage and NIMHANS officials have been criticized for turning a blind eye to the emergency situation which resulted in the death of the child. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, reacting to the incident, said that the arrangements at NIMHANS were not proper. There is a lot of crowd here. Despite the pressure, officials are ensuring quality treatment. We have to reduce their pressure. I will gather more information about the child’s death.