Pune: The PMC on Wednesday sent a notice to the Pune Adventist Hospital following complaints from parents and relatives about a newborn’s death after a C-section procedure on May 24.Dr Suryakant Devkar, assistant health officer, PMC said, “We have received information about the death of a newborn during a C-section delivery. A woman was admitted to Pune Adventist Hospital for delivery, during which the baby passed away. As per the preliminary information, the hospital claimed that the baby was stillborn, while the relatives said they were never informed about the stillbirth of the baby. We have sent out the notice to get more information about the case. The hospital has to respond within 24 hours.”The PMC sent the notice to the hospital under the Bombay Nursing Act, 1949. In the past nine days, the PMC has sent three notices to private hospitals.The 34-year-old woman, Sara Sonar, had rushed to the hospital on May 24 after she noticed that the baby’s movement had decreased. She said, “The doctors performed a non-stress test (NST) to monitor the baby’s well-being. The hospital’s staffers told me that the baby’s heartbeat was 113 per minute and the water inside the uterus had reduced. The doctor performed a quick C-section and told me that the baby was born dead. I believe the doctor’s negligence caused my baby’s death and the hospital falsely said that the baby was dead 24 hours ago. My baby’s body showed signs of injury. We want an independent investigation.”Gynaecologist Dr Mallika Gaikwad, who performed the surgery, said, ”The baby was not alive for about a day and did not die intrapartum. At the time of the birth, the baby weighed 3.78kg and was stiff. So, I had to perform a C-section. The body has been sent for post-mortem.”The doctor said, “We saw a heartbeat reported in the NST. In the absence of the baby’s heartbeat, the machine had detected the mother’s heartbeat or the maternal blood flow. It led to a false presumption that the baby was alive.”EOM/
