Protocol Violations at GMCH Spark Concern After Newborn Death

The death of a newborn at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has raised alarm over serious protocol breaches. Multiple babies were kept in a single cot and one nurse was reportedly assigned to nearly 30 infants in the NICU. Experts, including former GMCH Pediatrics Head Dr. JN Sarma and child specialist Dr. Partha Pratim Bora, stressed that “one baby, one cot” and adequate nurse-to-baby ratios are essential to prevent infections and ensure proper care. They held systemic overcrowding and poor staffing, not individual nurses, responsible for the tragedy.