A newborn girl, who after being declared dead by hospital staff in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district was buried in the graveyard of a neighbouring village on Monday, turned out to be alive after her grieving relatives had to exhume her body in view of objections by local villagers. “Two persons — a junior staff nurse and her helper — who declared the newborn dead without informing the gynaecologist have been suspended,” said Ramban Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Fareed Bhat. A three-member team led by Deputy CMO has also been set up to probe the matter. Sources said the staff of government-run sub-district hospital at Banihal declared the baby of Shameema Begum of Gujjar Basti Bankoot dead soon after the delivery and the family buried the child in nearby Hollan village. Buy Now | Our best subscription plan now has a special price However, local villagers objected to the burial of an outsider. “As the family exhumed the body, the child started crying,” said Gujjar leader Choudhary Mansoor. The CMO said Shameema was six-month pregnant and as she had a premature delivery, she was straightway taken to the labour room by a junior staff nurse and her helper. “However, instead of calling the gynaecologist, they declared the baby dead on their own. By the time the gynaecologist reached the labour room, the family had left,” the CMO said.
