GMCH Nurses Plead for Fair Probe, Say Don’t Blame One Alone

The enquiry committee constituted to probe the tragic death of a newborn at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) will begin recording witness statements today at 2 PM. The case has sparked intense outrage, with both the bereaved family and the nurses’ community demanding a fair and unbiased investigation.

Earlier in the day, grieving father Utpal Bordoloi once again expressed his anger before the media, questioning why the doctor on duty has not yet been brought under the ambit of the probe. He alleged that despite repeated appeals, the enquiry process seems selective and one-sided, targeting only nurses while sparing doctors. “Why has the doctor still not been questioned? My baby was murdered, and yet the main accused remains untouched,” Bordoloi said.

The infant’s mother, Smrita Deka, who is currently undergoing treatment at GMCH, had also named Dr. Rishikesh Thakuria, the doctor on duty on the day of the incident, in her family’s formal complaint. Family members stated that the tragedy could not have occurred without lapses at multiple levels of responsibility.

Meanwhile, hundreds of nurses staged a protest in solidarity with their colleague Bhanupriya Mishong, the duty nurse who was arrested soon after the incident. The nurses gathered in large numbers at Bhangagarh Police Station, submitted a memorandum to the police, and demanded her immediate release. They argued that Bhanupriya, who was the assigned in-charge sister, has been unfairly scapegoated while others equally accountable have been spared.

The protesting nurses also highlighted the severe shortage of staff at GMCH, stating that each nurse is forced to perform excessive night duties. “We do night duty five days out of ten. We are exhausted and overworked. There are not enough nurses, yet the government has ignored our repeated appeals. We serve with sincerity, but under these conditions, errors are bound to happen,” they said.

They further added, “We apologize to the people of Assam for this tragedy. But it is unjust to punish one nurse alone. Everyone involved must come under the scope of investigation. Patient care is teamwork – no one can handle 35 babies alone.”

Memorandum to the Enquiry Committee

Alongside the protest, the Nurses’ Community of GMCH submitted a formal memorandum to the Enquiry Committee, demanding justice. The key points raised were:

1. No role of nurse in admission procedure: The presence of four babies in one warmer was not decided by the nurse. Nurses have no authority in admission processes.

2. MusQan certification lapse: GMCH’s NICU was awarded the prestigious MusQan certificate in March 2025. The nurses questioned how a MusQan-certified NICU could fail to maintain proper admission and staffing standards.

3. Severe staff shortage: With 40 cradles/warmers in the NICU, Indian Nursing Council guidelines mandate a 1:1 nurse-patient ratio for ventilated patients and 1:2 for non-ventilated patients. Instead, a single nurse was handling nearly 35 babies in a shift, an impossible workload under which human error is inevitable.

4. Unjust arrest of Nurse Bhanupriya Mishong: The nurses condemned the inhuman arrest of Bhanupriya before the enquiry committee had even submitted its findings. They stressed that patient care is teamwork and demanded that doctors and other responsible officials also be held accountable.

Concluding their statement, the nurses said: “We have always served with dedication and sincerity. Even when unwilling, we take on duties no one else would. But under the current staff crisis, it is impossible to maintain standards. We request the enquiry committee to conduct an unbiased investigation and ensure fair justice for all.”

Also Read: GMCH Nurse Arrested After Infant’s Death, Staff Raise Bias Allegations