Delhi Mayor orders inquiry into infant’s death during planned shutdown at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital

New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has instructed the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to investigate the death of an infant at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital.

The incident occurred reportedly due to a lack of power backup during a planned shutdown at the hospital on August 22.

Mayor Oberoi took cognizance of a media report that indicated the infant’s death was caused by the non-availability of power back and directed the MCD Commissioner to initiate a comprehensive inquiry.

“One media report indicates that an infant has unfortunately died due to non-availability of power backup, during a planned shutdown at the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital on August 22. You are requested to immediately set up an inquiry to get to the root of the matter and identify the cause of this most unfortunate incident so that we can initiate action accordingly,” the Mayor said in a statement.

Earlier, MCD issued a statement refuting allegations that the power shutdown impacted medical procedures of the day. In its statement on August 22, the MCD clarified that while there was a brief power disruption, essential services were not affected.

The statement further emphasised that a power backup system was operational in the hospital’s operating theatre (OT), ensuring that critical functions continued without interruption.

“The hospital conducted three deliveries today, with two occurring during daylight hours and the third in the evening, by which time power had been fully restored. All procedures were conducted under standard conditions,” the statement mentioned.

“The child, who had been on a ventilator for five days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), experienced breathing difficulties post-delivery,” it added.

The MCD clarified that the ventilator’s power backup was functioning correctly throughout the child’s stay and that the parents were kept informed about the child’s health condition.