A Tragedy Beyond Words: Parents Lose Newborn After Fall from Phototherapy Bed at GMCH
GUWAHATI: What should have been days of joy for a young family in Guwahati has instead turned into an unimaginable nightmare. A newborn baby, just three days old, lost his life at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) after reportedly falling from a phototherapy bed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
For parents Smita Deka and Utpal Bordoloi, the pain is beyond description. Their child, born on August 15 through a C-section, was admitted to GMCH for treatment of jaundice — a condition common among newborns and considered easily treatable with proper medical supervision.
The family had trusted that their baby was in safe hands, under the care of one of Assam’s most reputed hospitals.
But at around 5:30 am on Monday, hospital staff found the infant hanging from the railing of the phototherapy bed. Despite immediate efforts, the child was declared dead. What was meant to be a life-saving treatment turned into the family’s greatest loss.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, reacting to the heartbreaking development, extended his condolences and expressed shock. “If negligence or dereliction of duty was the cause, strictest action will follow. This is an unfortunate and painful incident,” he said.
He also directed the Commissioner of Police, Partha Sarathi Mahanta, to examine CCTV footage to ascertain what went wrong inside the NICU.
This is the first such incident in the hospital’s history since its establishment in 1960, according to authorities. GMCH Principal Dr Achyut Chandra Baishya has announced two separate inquiries — one departmental and another by the college administration — with reports expected within 48 hours.
For Utpal Bordoloi, the infant’s father, grief is compounded by anger and disbelief. “I could not muster the courage to tell my wife about the incident.
I told her the baby was still in the ICU in a critical condition,” he said, holding back tears. He has demanded that those on duty be relieved immediately, vowing to file an FIR and pursue legal action so that accountability is fixed.
The young father pleaded for a fair and transparent probe, stressing that no parent should ever have to endure such a devastating loss due to negligence. “We gave our child to the hospital with trust. Today we are left with nothing,” he said.
For the bereaved parents, the cradle of hope turned into a cradle of grief — a pain no words can soften. Theirs is loss not only exposes possible lapses in hospital care but also raises disturbing questions about the safety of the most vulnerable lives entrusted to medical institutions.
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