Mumbai: Case Against 3 Civil Hospital Nurses For Taping Baby’s Mouth To Stop It From Crying

Police have filed a case against three Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) hospital nurses for taping a baby’s mouth to make it stop crying, reported The Times of India.

According to the report, a homemaker from Badlapur, Priya Kamble, claimed that on June 2, 2023, she found that her newborn son, who was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a BMC hospital in Bhandup, had an adhesive tape across his mouth. She informed her parents and a former corporator, who demanded the hospital authorities to discharge the baby.

A few months later, lawyer Tushar Bhonsale filed a complaint with Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC), which issued summons to the BMC and police. The police took cognisance of the MSHRC case and took action against the nurses on Thursday.

Priya, who got married to Yugandhar Kamble in 2022, had delivered a boy on May 20, 2023, at the Savitribai Phule Hospital.

She was discharged three days later and was asked to return if her son suffered any health problems.

On May 26, 2023, she rushed her son to the hospital as he was yellowish, but a doctor told her the baby wouldn’t need hospitalisation as long as he was being breastfed. However, her baby continued to suffer health issues and was admitted to NICU on May 31, 2023, police told TOI.

On June 2, 2023, around 8 pm, when Priya went to pick up her son, she found adhesive tape around his mouth, his neck, and below his chin. She removed it and found rashes all over his body.

“When she enquired about the tape, nurse Sweta told her that they had to place it as her baby wouldn’t stop crying,” said an officer.

Later, Priya’s parents approached nurse Savita Bhoir, who allegedly told them not to create a ruckus over the adhesive tape as it was a “common practice” in NICUs. Police said the baby was taken to Agrawal Hospital thereafter.

Priya’s parents approached former corporator Jagruti Patil, who went to the hospital after midnight. At Patil’s insistence, police took the complaint, but there was no follow-up action until MSHRC began hearing the case.