Four Kerala doctors booked over birth of newborn with genetic disorders

Alappuzha: (Kerala), Four doctors here have been booked for allegedly failing to detect genetic disorders in a newborn while it was in the mother's womb, the police said on Thursday. The accused include two female doctors attached to the Kadappuram Government Women and Child Hospital in Alappuzha, along with two others from private diagnostic labs, according to the Alappuzha South police.

The police registered an FIR on Tuesday based on a complaint lodged by Anish and Surumi, a couple from Alappuzha.

The doctors were booked under different sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that included endangering life or personal safety of others. Two of the scan centers were run by two doctors accused in the matter.

The couple alleged the doctors failed to detect or disclose the genetic abnormalities during prenatal scans, instead assuring them that the reports were normal.

The couple also claimed that they were shown the baby only four days after delivery, according to the complaint.

The FIR stated that Surumi, 35, was undergoing treatment for her third pregnancy at Kadappuram Women and Child Hospital.

The scans were performed on July 11, September 28, October 22, and November 1.

On October 30, Surumi was admitted for delivery. However, she was referred to Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Vandanam, Alappuzha, citing the absence of fetal movement and heartbeat, the FIR said.

On November 8, the baby was delivered following surgery at MCH and was found to have severe internal and external deformities, the FIR stated.

Meanwhile, one of the accused doctors, responding to the allegations, said she had treated Surumi only during the initial months of her pregnancy.

"I provided care for three months at the beginning of her pregnancy. The reports shown to me indicated issues with the fetus's growth," she said.

The doctors associated with the diagnostic labs, however, maintained that there were no errors in the scan reports.