Medical Negligence at Nulife Hospital, says Father Fighting for Son

Medical Negligence: A Father’s Long Battle Against Nulife Hospital 

Dr. Alok Kumar's voice trembles with a mix of grief and resolve as he remembers his son, Aayansh. "He was my son," he says, his words heavy with loss.

Aayansh’s life was tragically cut short on December 26, 2023, a victim of medical negligence. "If he were alive, he would have turned six this February," says Dr. Kumar, his words heavy with sorrow.

The Probe first brought Aayansh’s story to light on May 14, 2023, when the little boy was still fighting for his life. Just months later, the devastating news of his death reached us. However, this story goes beyond the tragedy of Aayansh’s passing or the medical negligence that led to it. It is also about the unwavering resilience of his family, who continue their relentless fight for justice for their son.

Born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Aayansh came into this world as a brain-damaged child—a condition his family claims could have been prevented. According to them, the root of the tragedy lies in a critical error made by Dr. Shakuntla Kumar of Nulife Hospital, who allegedly miscalculated the baby’s expected delivery date. This misstep, they b

Medical Negligence: A Father’s Long Battle Against Nulife Hospital 

Dr. Alok Kumar's voice trembles with a mix of grief and resolve as he remembers his son, Aayansh. "He was my son," he says, his words heavy with loss.

Aayansh’s life was tragically cut short on December 26, 2023, a victim of medical negligence. "If he were alive, he would have turned six this February," says Dr. Kumar, his words heavy with sorrow.

The Probe first brought Aayansh’s story to light on May 14, 2023, when the little boy was still fighting for his life. Just months later, the devastating news of his death reached us. However, this story goes beyond the tragedy of Aayansh’s passing or the medical negligence that led to it. It is also about the unwavering resilience of his family, who continue their relentless fight for justice for their son.

Born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Aayansh came into this world as a brain-damaged child—a condition his family claims could have been prevented. According to them, the root of the tragedy lies in a critical error made by Dr. Shakuntla Kumar of Nulife Hospital, who allegedly miscalculated the baby’s expected delivery date. This misstep, they believe, led to Aayansh’s disability. The family alleges that the hospital later manipulated the baby’s medical records. 

"Every second of his life, my baby was in pain," recounts Dr. Kumar, his voice breaking under the weight of his grief. He explains the terrible agony and pain Aayansh had undergone when he was alive. "My son’s limbs did not function. His hearing and visual abilities were non-responsive. He hardly closed his eyelids. His speech was absent, and he did not recognise his own parents or sibling. We didn’t even know if he could hear us or feel us."

Recalling the events leading to Aayansh’s painful birth, Dr. Kumar explains the critical error that set everything into motion. "When we consulted the doctor at Nulife Hospital, the last date of the period was stated as May 25, based on which she calculated the expected delivery date as February 1, 2018," he shares. "That was a miscalculation—it should have been March 1, 2018, not February 1."

Dr. Kumar alleges that the mistake was not just a one-time error. "She repeated the same miscalculation in different pages of the prescription, at least three times," he claims. "Even though all the ultrasound reports consistently reflected a different, accurate date, she ignored them and continued with the incorrect calculation. It wasn’t just a mistake—it was medical negligence that she committed over and over again."

 The trauma for Aayansh’s family only deepened after his birth on February 12, 2018. Recalling the harrowing delivery, Dr. Alok Kumar shares, "I was informed by the doctor during the delivery that my baby’s head had emerged, but they were unable to proceed further. They said they needed to immediately conduct an operation and sought my consent."

In those critical moments, Dr. Kumar explains, there was an alarming delay. "There was a gap of two, three, or maybe four minutes. Because of that delay, my son suffered severe oxygen deprivation—what is medically known as hypoxia. That moment sealed his fate, and from that day, his suffering began."

Aayansh was transferred to another hospital from Nulife Hospital in Delhi, where he remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for nearly eight months. Despite their best efforts, the family received a grim prognosis. "The doctors eventually told me that there was no treatment available. They advised us to take him home and learn how to manage his condition ourselves," Dr. Kumar recalls. 

Though Aayansh is no longer alive, his family’s fight for justice has endured for six long years. Dr. Alok Kumar firmly holds the Nulife hospital accountable, alleging that medical negligence of the hospital led to his son being categorised as 100 percent disabled.

The case eventually reached the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), which initially recommended a minor penalty—removal of Dr. Shakuntla Kumar’s name from the State Medical Register for just seven days. However, the council later revised its decision, acknowledging the gravity of the lapses.

In a strongly worded order, the DMC stated, “The punishment of removal of the name of Dr. Shakuntala Kumar from the State Medical Register of the Delhi Medical Council for a period of 7 days is highly inadequate; as she has committed serious lapses in the medical management of the patient Anshu Bala, which not only compromised the health of the patient but also her newborn baby, as has been highlighted in the Disciplinary Committee's observations. The Council, therefore, holds that the name of Dr. Shakuntla Kumar be removed from the State Medical Register of the Delhi Medical Council for a period of 90 days.”

The pursuit of justice for Aayansh has become a labyrinth of legal battles and unyielding roadblocks for Dr. Kumar and his family. Despite evidence pointing to medical negligence, the family states that they have had to challenge every hurdle in a system seemingly unwilling to hold the Nulife Hospital accountable.

Dr. Kumar reveals how the National Medical Commission (NMC) overturned the DMC's findings, giving the Nulife Hospital a clean chit. The family’s appeal to the Delhi High Court resulted in a stay on the NMC’s order in 2021. Simultaneously, another case in the Rohini court drags on, where the police’s closure report, absolving the hospital of responsibility, was met with a protest petition from the family in September 2023. “More than a year has passed, and we are still waiting for final arguments in the matter,” Dr. Kumar laments.

Further, the family approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for compensation, urging the commission to seek an expert opinion from AIIMS. The AIIMS report highlighted amongst other things that there were no complications in the foetus or the mother before delivery and confirmed the hospital’s miscalculation of the delivery date. 

"Despite this, justice remains elusive", states Aayansh's family. “When there is clear evidence, a DMC report proving negligence, a High Court stay on the NMC’s clean chit, and an AIIMS report confirming the hospital’s mistakes, why do I still have to move from one court to another, one agency to the next?” Dr. Kumar questions, his voice echoing with pain and frustration.

For the Kumar family, this battle is no longer just about Aayansh. “This fight is to ensure no other child suffers what Aayansh did,” Dr. Kumar asserts. 

The story of Aayansh and his family highlights the resilience of those who refuse to give up, even when the odds are stacked against them. It is a call for medical accountability and systemic reform—a plea that no parent should have to endure the anguish of losing a child to medical negligence and then fight an uphill battle for justice. For Dr. Kumar, Aayansh’s painful life and untimely death must serve as a turning point in ensuring that such tragedies are not repeated.

(With special inputs from Jeffin T. Kaleekal)

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