Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to inform the House that newborn baby K.S. was admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on 16 February 2026 following an emergency Caesarean section at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital. The baby was subsequently transferred to Special Care Baby Unit, site 2 on 27 February 2026. I am informed that on 18 March 2026, the baby was transferred from Special Care Baby Unit 2 to Special Care Baby Unit 1, Ward 1.5 Nursery. On 14 April 2026, the baby, being stabilised, was able to feed normally and was discharged by the paediatrician. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am further informed that an official complaint was received by the Regional Health Director of the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital on 12 March 2026. According to the complainant, that is, the father of the newborn K.S., few ants were noticed on the side of the incubator and one ant was crawling directly on the newborn baby. Following the complaint dated 12 March 2026, an internal inquiry was carried out and the nursing staff informed that the incubator is daily cleansed and, at no moment, ants were found in any incubator. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, on 18 April 2026, another complaint was received from the father of the newborn K.S. regarding the previous observation of ants in NICU as well as expired medication provided to the newborn baby. According to the complainant, at the time of discharge, that is, on 14 April 2026, a colic drop was provided by the hospital staff with expiry date 11 April 2026. The complainant, therefore, requested that a full and independent investigation be carried out in the matter. At the time of discharge, the patient was already in possession of the colicaid drop, used earlier in the NICU, and as such, a new one was not dispensed. An investigation is being carried out as to why the expired colicaid drop was not returned by the staff, and the same drug prescribed, expiring in July 2026, was not handed over by the relatives. Following receipt of the complaint, the matter was referred to the Infection Prevention and Control Coordinator. On 30 April 2026, the IPC Coordinator contacted the IPC Registered Medical Officer as well as the Acting Ward Manager of NICU at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital. According to the NICU staff, no ant or insect were observed in the incubators. As regards the complaint pertaining to the expired colic drops, I am informed that the neonatal ICU had intended colic drops on 15 of March 2026 for baby K.S. for a treatment duration of one week, and that one flask of colic drops was accordingly dispensed to the ward. The expiry date of this batch was 11 April 2026. Subsequently, a new batch of colic drops, with an expiry date of 07 July 2026, was used in the SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit). I am informed that no issue was raised at the level of NICU at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in relation to hygiene conditions within the unit during the period under reference. It is also to be noted that strict observance of infection prevention and control protocols is permanently enforced in the NICU Department. In addition, no case of multi-drug-resistant organisms were reported during the months of February, March and April 2026. The NICU performance score under the MoBienet Application stands at 88%, which is a good score. I am further informed that a system of regular monitoring of expiry dates is in place within the pharmacy to ensure that no expired medication is dispensed to patients. As an additional measure to further strengthen oversight, instructions have been issued for pharmacists to carry out regular inspections of hospital wards to verify the absence of expired medication. It is however to be emphasised that the primary responsibility for ensuring that no expired drugs are kept in the ward stock rests with the Charge Nurse or Ward Manager. My Ministry will ensure that the established clinical and pharmaceutical protocols are duly observed in the management of this case, both in respect of infection prevention and control as well as medication dispensing, and will continue to reinforce monitoring mechanism to ensure sustained compliance with best practice standards.

Yes, hon. Ramdass!

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. Of course, I welcome the investigation announced by the hon. Minister. As the hon. Minister has stated himself, in fact, there were two incidents further to which an official complaint was addressed to the Regional Health Director by the responsible party, who also tried to meet him. Is the hon. Minister aware that up to this day, not a single response, not a single reply, has been addressed to the responsible party of this newborn baby by the hospital staff or at least the Regional Health Director?

Well, I was informed about the attitude of the Director, and I have also received complaints. I can assure the hon. Member that I am looking into this case seriously.

The hon. Second Member for Savanne and Black River! OVERSEAS MEDICAL TREATMENT SERVICE – ASSOCIATIONS/PRIVATE ENTITIES – COMPLAINTS/IRREGULARITIES