Death confirmed for baby that was almost buried alive

The premature baby that was taken to the cemetery to be buried and later returned to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) when people realised that he was not dead, has been buried after his death was confirmed while being treated in the ICU at IGMH last night. The baby was delivered after five months of pregnancy.

The baby’s father, Mujeeb Anwar of Cosy Villa, Ga. Villingili, told Sun Online today that IGMH confirmed the baby’s death for a second time at around 7.40pm, and that the baby was buried at around 10.40pm at Aa Sahara last night.

Mujeeb said that all doctors who checked the baby had given up hope of the baby surviving, and that IGMH had promised to provide a report after investigation into confirming the baby’s death while he was still alive.

“Because the baby was lacking a skull, doctors said even earlier that he will die after birth. That’s how it turned out,” he said.

The baby’s mother was taken to ADK Hospital in Male’ on 26 December after doctors at Gdh. Thinadhoo Regional Hospital said that the baby was missing its skull. The mother was told by ADK, after being treated in emergency there, that the facilities necessary to treat her were at IGMH.She was thus taken to IGMH on 30 December and the baby was delivered after five months of pregnancy.

Mujeeb said that the baby’s size when he was born was that of a person’s palm, and that he weighed a mere 200 grams. The baby was confirmed dead within an hour of being born and taken to the cemetery, but family members realised he was still breathing while funeral preparations were about to begin at the cemetery when the piece of cloth covering him was lifted to show his face.

“It had been decided to bury him after Asr prayers following IGMH’s first confirmation of his death. But family members saw that he was breathing when the piece of cloth was lifted. He also had a pulse then. As the IGMH bus happened to be there at the time, we hurriedly returned him to the hospital ICU,” the father said.

The family has filed a case to the police to investigate IGMH’s negligence in relation to this incident. The case is also under investigation by IGMH.