Private hospitals deny access: Dengue claims son, Parents commit suicide

By Newsgram Staff Writer

New Delhi: Lakshman Chandra Raut (35) and Babita Raut (30) committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of a building when their seven-year-old son Avinash Raut died of dengue, said Delhi Police on Saturday.

Police said the couple hailing from Odisha jumped from their rented accommodation in the Lado Sarai area of south Delhi on Wednesday around 12.15 am. The parents have left a suicide note in Odia explaining that they were responsible for their own actions.

"A suicide note was also recovered from the possession of the couple in which it was mentioned that they were in extreme shock over the death of their son. The note was written in Odia. The couple also mentioned that nobody is responsible for their act and that they were responsible for their decision," the officer said.

After being diagnosed with the symptoms of dengue, Avinash was denied admission in five private hospitals, police said. He was finally admitted on September 4 but died during treatment on September 8, unable to make up for the lost time.

The Delhi government has issued a show-cause notice to these hospitals.

"Moolchand Khairati Ram Hospital, Aakash Hospital, Saket City Hospital, Max Hospital (Saket) and Irene Hospital (Kalkaji) have been asked to reply in a month as to why their registration should not be cancelled for refusing emergency medical care to the deceased child," said a Delhi government official.

While Health Minister Satyendra Jain promised stringent steps to be taken in the case, the Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda went a step further: "I have ordered an inquiry into the incident reported in the media involving the death of a child in Delhi due to dengue and the suicide by his parents. Guilty won't be spared."

The Central government is also probing into the matter.

(With inputs from IANS)