Coimbatore: Body of two-day-old kept outside Govt. hospital for six hours

A two-day-old baby, died of dengue, was carelessly kept outside the mortuary gate for more than six hours at Coimbatore government hospital.

Lourth Mary, a pregnant woman hailing from Pollachi was undergoing treatment for fever at Pollachi government hospital but due to lack of facility she was referred to Coimbatore and undergoing treatment for dengue fever at a private hospital (Sri Ramakrishna hospitals).

During the treatment she gave birth to a male baby who also got infected with dengue fever.

Due to lack of money, authorities of the private hospital shifted both the mother and the just born baby to government hospital but when they reached the hospital it was found both mother and baby had died.

Immediately, the ambulance driver unloaded both the body outside the mortuary and went away.

The government hospital mortuary worker picked the body of the mother for postmortem and left the infant's body.

The victim's relatives lashed out at the hospital authorities following which the body of the infant was taken for postmortem after six hours.

"Due to negligence and carelessness of the hospital mortuary authorities the body of the baby infected with dengue fever was kept near the compound ward of the mortuary for more than six hours," said a relative of deceased.