In a disturbing incident at the Savitribai Phule Maternity Home, run under a public-private partnership program and located on LBS Marg in Bhandup (W), a nurse placed adhesive tape on the mouth of a three-day-old male infant who was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, in an attempt to silence his crying. This reckless action posed a significant risk to the child’s life. Following this incident, the nurse has been suspended by the health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and an investigation has been initiated.

Persistent complaints against staff

Allegedly, there have been persistent complaints regarding negligence and impolite behavior by this nurse and others at the hospital, but the hospital administration has failed to take appropriate measures. Rakesh Shetty, the working president of the Congress Seva Dal, has called for the nurse in question to face criminal charges. He stated, “I will be leading a delegation to the Bhandup police on Saturday to demand the most severe action against this nurse.”

Last week, Priya Kamble, a resident of Bhandup, was admitted to the maternity home where she delivered her baby. However, due to the baby’s jaundice condition, he was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). On the night of June 2, when Kamble went to breastfeed her child, she noticed that his mouth was taped shut, but she was unaware of the reason behind it. Despite her request to remove the tape and allow her to feed the baby, the nurse on duty refused and instructed her to return the next morning at eight o’clock. Kamble informed the nurse that the doctor had instructed her to feed the child every two hours. Frustratingly, when she revisited the NICU at 1 am, she discovered that the tape was still intact, as she shared with on Friday.

Nurse said she taped baby because he was crying

Regarding the incident, Kamble recounted her confrontation with the nurse, stating, “When I asked the nurse why she had taped my baby’s mouth, she replied that it was because the baby was crying. I was shocked to hear that. However, since my own son was admitted there, I didn’t want to escalate the argument.” She further observed, “I noticed that there were 2-3 more babies in the unit whose mouths were also taped.”

Concerned and seeking assistance, Kamble reached out to her family, who then sought the help of Jagruti Patil, an ex-corporator, to address the issue. Patil had the tapes removed from the mouths of the affected infants.

Patil launches complaint with hospital administration

Kamble stated that Patil lodged a complaint with the hospital administration regarding the nurse’s cruel behavior, which endangered the lives of newborns. Disturbed by the situation, Kamble decided to have her own child discharged from the maternity home and admitted to a hospital in Thane.

“We discovered that there had been numerous complaints filed against the nurses, as they were neglecting their duties by not changing clothes and diapers of the babies. Additionally, the nurses were not feeding the babies on time,” Kamble added, highlighting the broader issues with the nursing staff at the hospital.

Dr Daksha Shah, Deputy Executive Health officer of the hospital, was unavailable for a comment.

Nurse suspended

A senior officer from the hospital confirmed that they have taken decisive action against the nurse responsible by suspending her. The hospital administration has also requested an explanation regarding her actions towards the newborns. It is important to note that this maternity home operates under a public-private partnership, and the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) is not directly involved in its management. Nonetheless, the hospital has taken stringent measures against the nurses involved.

The senior officer stated, “We have received complaints about nurses not fulfilling their duties properly, and we will be taking strict action against those found at fault.”

Patil writes letter to Assistant Commissioner of S Ward

In response to the distressing situation at the maternity hospital, former BJP corporator Jagruti Patil took action by writing a letter to the Assistant Commissioner of S Ward. In the letter, Patil highlighted the frequent complaints they had received from women regarding mistreatment by nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) department of the Savitribai Phule Maternity Hospital. The letter also mentioned concerns about improper handling of newborns.

Patil’s letter specifically addressed the alarming practice of applying an adhesive bandage to the mouth of a crying newborn. The letter emphasized the occurrence of disturbing incidents within the NICU, suggesting that there are serious issues affecting the quality of care provided.

“Extreme negligence is done while taking mother’s milk in a bowl and giving it to children. Also the complainant is a woman in the maternity ward. Nurses in NICU are found to lack proper experience. Nurses do not change diapers of newborns. Such and many other complaints have come about NICU. However, I humbly request you to order an immediate inquiry keeping in mind the seriousness of all the above matters,” she said in a letter.