Medical negligence: Father’s long battle against Nulife Hospital
Dr. Alok Kumar’s voice trembles with a mixture of grief and resolve as he remembers his son, Ayans. “He was my son,” he says, his words heavy with loss.
Aayush’s life was tragically cut short on December 26, 2023, a victim of medical negligence. “He would have been six years old this February if he was alive,” Dr. Kumar says his words are heavy with grief.
The probe first brought Aion’s story to light on May 14, 2023, when the little boy was still fighting for his life. A few months later, the terrible news of his death reached us. But this story goes beyond the tragedy of Ayansh’s death or the medical negligence that led to it. It is also about the unwavering resilience of his family, who continue their tireless fight for justice for their son.
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Born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Ionash came into this world as a baby with brain damage – a condition his family claims is preventable. According to them, Dr. Nulife Hospital. This incident happened due to a serious mistake made by Shakuntala Kumar by miscalculating the expected delivery date of the child. This mistake, they b
Medical negligence: Father’s long battle against Nulife Hospital
Dr. Alok Kumar’s voice trembles with a mixture of grief and resolve as he remembers his son, Ayans. “He was my son,” he says, his words heavy with loss.
Aayush’s life was tragically cut short on December 26, 2023, a victim of medical negligence. “He would have been six years old this February if he was alive,” Dr. Kumar says his words are heavy with grief.
The probe first brought Aion’s story to light on May 14, 2023, when the little boy was still fighting for his life. A few months later, the terrible news of his death reached us. But this story goes beyond the tragedy of Ayansh’s death or the medical negligence that led to it. It is also about the unwavering resilience of his family, who continue their tireless fight for justice for their son.
Our request to you: keep our journalism alive
We’re a small, dedicated team at The Probe, committed to deep, slow journalism that dives deeper than the daily headlines. We cannot continue our important work without your support. Please consider contributing to our social impact projects: support us or become a research member. Even your small contribution will help keep our journalism alive.
Born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Ionash came into this world as a baby with brain damage – a condition his family claims is preventable. According to them, Dr. Nulife Hospital. This incident happened due to a serious mistake made by Shakuntala Kumar by miscalculating the expected delivery date of the child. They believe that Ion is disabled due to this mistake. The family later alleged that the hospital manipulated the child’s medical records.
“Every second of his life, my child was in pain,” said Dr. Kumar narrates his voice torn apart by the burden of his grief. He narrates the terrible pain and suffering Ayush went through while he was alive. “My son’s limbs didn’t work. His hearing and vision were non-responsive. He could barely close his eyelids. His speech was absent, and he didn’t recognize his parents or siblings. We didn’t know if he could hear. Do it.”
Remembering Ayush’s painful birth, Dr. Kumar explains the critical flaw in setting everything in motion. “When we consulted the doctor at Nulife Hospital, the last date of the period was said to be May 25, based on which he calculated the expected delivery date as February 1, 2018,” he shares. “That was a miscalculation – it should be March 1, 2018, not February 1.”
Dr. Kumar alleges that the mistake was not made only once. “She repeated the same miscalculation at least three times on different pages of the prescription,” he claims. “Even though all the ultrasound reports consistently reflected a different, correct date, she ignored them and continued with the miscalculation. It wasn’t just a mistake — it was medical negligence that she repeatedly committed.”
After the birth on February 12, 2018, Aion’s family’s pain deepened. Remembering the painful delivery Dr. Alok Kumar says, “The doctor informed me that my baby’s head had come out, but they couldn’t go ahead. They said they would have to operate immediately and asked for my consent.
In those critical moments, Dr. There was a terrible delay, says Kumar. “There was a gap of two, three, or four minutes. Because of that delay, my son suffered a severe lack of oxygen – what in medical terms is called hypoxia. That moment sealed his fate, and from that day his suffering began.”
Ayush was shifted from Nulife Hospital in Delhi to another hospital, where he stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for almost eight months. Despite their best efforts, the family received a dire prognosis. “Finally the doctors told me that there was no treatment available. They advised us to take him home and learn on our own how to manage his condition,” said Dr. Kumar remembers.
Although Ayuns is no longer alive, his family’s fight for justice has lasted for six years. Dr. Alok Kumar has held Newlife Hospital strictly accountable and has accused his son of being 100% disabled due to the hospital’s medical negligence.
The case eventually reached the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), which initially recommended a modest fine—Dr. Shakuntala Kumar’s name to be removed from the state medical register for seven days only. However, the council later revised its decision acknowledging the seriousness of the mistakes.
In a strongly worded order, the DMC said, “The punishment of removing the name of Dr. Shakuntala Kumar from the Delhi Medical Council’s State Medical Register for a period of 7 days is grossly inadequate; a discipline which affected not only the patient’s health but also her newborn baby’s health as she committed serious lapses in medical management of patient Anshu Bala.” Highlighting the Committee’s observations, the Council has decided to remove Dr. Shakuntala Kumar’s name from the State Medical Register for 90 days.
Dr. For Kumar and his family, there has been a maze of legal battles and inconvenient obstacles. The family said they had to challenge every obstacle in the system, which seemed unwilling to hold Nulife Hospital accountable despite the evidence pointing to medical negligence.
Dr Kumar revealed how the National Medical Commission (NMC) overturned the DMC’s findings by giving a clean chit to Newlife Hospital. The family’s appeal in the Delhi High Court resulted in a stay on the NMC’s order in 2021. Simultaneously, another case was dragged before the Rohini court, where the police’s closure report, absolving the hospital of responsibility, was met with a protest petition. Family in September 2023. “More than a year has passed, and we are still waiting for the final argument in the matter,” lamented Dr Kumar.
Additionally, the family approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for compensation, asking the commission to seek expert opinion from AIIMS. The AIIMS report highlighted among other things that there were no complications in the fetus or the mother before the delivery and confirmed the wrong calculation of the delivery date by the hospital.
“Despite this, justice remains elusive,” says Ayansh’s family. “When there is clear evidence, the DMC report proving negligence, the High Court’s stay on NMC’s clean chit, and the AIIMS report confirming the hospital’s wrongdoing, why do I still have to go from one court to another, to another agency. ?” questions Dr. Kumar, his voice ringing with pain and frustration.
For the Kumar family, this battle is no longer just a matter of length. “This fight is to ensure that no other child has to suffer the way Ayans did,” emphasized Dr Kumar.
The story of Ayush and his family highlights the resilience of those who never give up, even when the odds are stacked against them. This is a call for medical accountability and systemic reform – no parent should have to endure the pain of losing a child to medical negligence and fight an uphill battle for justice. Dr. For Kumar, Aayush’s painful life and untimely death should serve as a turning point to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.
(with special inputs from Jeffin T. Calical)
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