Chennai hospital employee suspended for handing over stillborn in cardboard box

The doctors had confirmed that the baby had died and sent the body to the mortuary while the mother was undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The incident sparked an outrage in the wake of a news report which claimed that the staff member had demanded cash for cremating the baby and violated the medical guideline of wrapping the body in a shroud.

Further, an investigation by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research also found that the staff member had handed over the stillborn to the family in a cardboard box ‘against the guidelines’.

Dr R Muthuselvan, dean of Government Kilpauk Medical College, told indianexpress.com that the body should have been wrapped in a cloth if not infectious.

“He (the staff member) had followed other procedures and the body was sent to the crematorium in the free ambulance. Also, on that day, he had wrapped up other bodies in cloth and followed a proper procedure. In this particular incident, it was not followed as he had done everything in a jiffy. The person claimed that despite being in a hurry, the woman’s husband had also asked him to finish the process quickly. But these are part of the preliminary inquiry. We will get a complete report post the inquiry,” he said.

The hospital has also constituted a committee comprising three professors to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

The dean also noted that under the insistence of the baby’s father, Mansoor, they had discharged the woman on Monday, but told the family that she can reach the hospital for any medical help. As per the procedure, they have also informed the local health authorities to monitor the health of the woman.

According to hospital authorities, Mansoor had asked the staff at the mortuary to keep the baby at the hospital itself as he did not have the money to perform the cremation procedures. “During that time, someone had told him that if they provided Rs 2,500 the staff would carry out the duties. Later, when he was asked to identify the staff member who had sought money, he was unable to identify the person,” said a hospital official.