punjab

Updated: Oct 24, 2017 19:14 IST

A six-month stillborn male foetus allegedly, purportedly delivered when the mother was using the toilet, was found mutilated by dogs just behind the gynaecology ward at the civil hospital here on Tuesday.

Staff who found the foetus informed the police. Dr Gagandeep Singh, acting senior medical officer (SMO), said a preliminary enquiries revealed that a woman identified as Kirandeep Kaur of Raunta village had a foetus with a congenital malformation (birth defect) and was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night. “Doctors were waiting for extricating the stillborn but Kiran had a miscarriage while using the hospital toilet and she accidentally flushed out the foetus,” he said.

But how did the foetus end up being abandoned to dogs? Dr Manjit Singh, the civil surgeon, has formed a three-member committee headed by the assistant civil surgeon to investigate. Dr Gagandeep, who is also a member of the committee, said, as per the preliminary investigation, they have held responsible staff who did not inform any senior doctor about the incident.

“The inquiry will be concluded after the report of the autopsy of the foetus, from which we will ascertain the reason of death,” he said.