Newborn dies in Bengal, family alleges nurse dropped the baby

Kolkata, Aug 15 (IANS) A man on Monday alleged that his newborn baby died after the infant was dropped by a nurse at a hospital in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The hospital has denied the allegation.

The incident happened in the early hours of the day at the Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital.

"The nurse came to us saying our baby was born dead. But the baby was born healthy and her body bears several injury marks, including on the head. We fear she was dropped on the floor by the nurse," said Mohammad Halim, the father of the child.

The hospital, however, has denied any wrongdoing.

"The mother came here for the delivery at the eleventh hour, which caused complications. The baby died because of those complications. There are no injury marks on the baby nor was she dropped by the nurse as is being alleged," said A.K. Chakraborty, a doctor of the hospital.

Meanwhile, in another government-run hospital in Kolkata's satellite township Bidhannagar, a dengue patient was denied a medical examination report citing the Independence Day holiday.

"I underwent a test for ascertaining my platelet count. The report was to be delivered today. But I have not been able to get it as the lab staff is on holiday for Independence Day," said Sudip Biswas, a dengue patient.

The incident comes in the wake of a spike in dengue cases in the state, crossing the 2,500 mark. At least 16 people have died due to the vector-borne disease.