Negligence that left Varanasi infant scarred, but only suspension for docs

Negligence of any kind, and most certainly of the medical form, should in the normal course invite harsh punitive action, but not so in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where two doctors of a nursing home got away with a 'mere one-year suspension' for causing severe burn injuries to an infant hours after its birth.

Recalling the incident that took place four hours after the birth of their daughter Sudiksha on January 8, 2013, her parents, Lalit Kumar and Sapna Sneha, said that Dr. Satish Mishra and Dr. Abha Rani Mishra of the Shekhar Nursing Home advised them to keep their child in a warmer.

The nursing home is located in Varanasi's Shivpur area.

During the night, the warmer short circuited, leaving the infant severely burnt. Shockingly, nobody was present in the room when it caught fire.

The tragedy left the child handicapped and scarred.

"She was born in January8, 2013. Her face was burnt three hours after birth due to the negligence of the doctors. Her face can't be healed completely," said Lalit Kumar.

He said that the doctors had assured him that the child would be attended to round-the-clock by nursing staff. Today, he squarely blames the two doctors for his daughter's plight.

According to reports, the couple has been running from pillar to post, knocking on every possible door, ranging from the health ministry to the medical council and to organisations dealing with human rights, seeking justice, but to no avail.

So far, all that they have been able to achieve is a year's suspension for Dr. Satish Mishra and Dr. Abha Rani Mishra.

They want the health ministry to cancel the license of the two doctors and the medical council to bar them from practicing for life. They are also seeking compensation from the nursing home for negligence.