A doctor employed at a government hospital in Gujarat who attempted to deliver a baby in a drunken state has been booked for medical negligence after causing the deaths of the mother and new-born baby. The relatives of the woman notified the police after which the case was filed.

According to sources, the pregnant woman was admitted to the government hospital after she started experiencing labour pains. The doctor in charge was reportedly drunk when he performed the delivery, following which the woman and the child died. Assam Infant Deaths: 16 Newborns Die at Jorhat Hospital in 9 Days, State Government Orders Probe.

The police say that the family of the victims filed a complaint with the local police, after which they arrested the doctor. A breath analyser test showed that he was drunk at the time of the procedure. Performing complicated procedures like delivery require utmost precision on the surgeon’s side. Intoxication severely impairs the person’s judgement and his or her ability to perform tasks.

It’s unclear whether the other hospital staff were aware of the doctor’s intoxicated state when he was let into the operation theatre. The fact that such an act of brazen medical negligence took place in a government hospital speaks volumes about the doctors’ ethics and the laxity of the rules in state-run institutions. Uttar Pradesh: 12-Day-Old Infant Killed by Monkey in Agra, Body Found Blood-Soaked on Neighbour’s Terrace.

So far, there are no reports that suggest that the family of the victim knew that the doctor was intoxicated. The doctor was arrested immediately after he failed the breath analyser test.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 27, 2018 01:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).