Mumbai: A 10-year-old student from an international school in Borivali recently slipped in the shower area of the school’s swimming pool and hit a faucet, which caused a deep gash on her head. She was taken to a hospital by her mother around 45 minutes later and received eight stitches on her head.While she has now recovered, the parents have withdrawn the child from the school and served a legal notice alleging gross negligence by the administration. The school, JBCN International, has denied the allegations and said the student received immediate attention from para-medical staff as well as first-aid under the guidance of a doctor on-call.
The incident took place on Dec 24. After the class IV student slipped in the shower area around 2.20 pm, she was rushed to the infirmary on the third floor. She was bleeding profusely from the head injury. Para-medical staff tried to stop the bleeding and applied a bandage while administrative staff informed the parents. The parents, however, were irked by the school’s decision to wait for them, instead of rushing her to a hospital. The child’s mother reached the school at 2.50 pm and till then the child was in the infirmary.
“We are appalled by the way the school responded. Karuna Hospital is just five minutes away from the school. And the school’s doctor (consulted online), also recommended taking her to a hospital for sutures. They could have taken her, but they waited for us,” said the mother, Vandana Laishram.
The student’s father, Satyakam Gautam, alleged that the school had no tie-up with any hospital nor an ambulance facility to take her to the hospital.
A school spokesperson said the school has tie-ups with healthcare facilities in the vicinity and doctors are available on-call. “The learner received immediate attention within two minutes of the incident, with our para-medical team responding swiftly and with great care. The school principal, along with key members of the team, were present to personally check on the learner’s condition, and within a few minutes, first aid was administered under the guidance of a doctor consulted via call. The parents were promptly notified, and by the time they arrived, the learner had already received medical attention and was in a stable condition,” said the spokesperson adding the school was in communication with the family throughout to ensure the learner’s well-being and recovery. “The safety and well-being of our learners remain our highest priority,” said the spokesperson.
Parents ask why she was not rushed to hospital, School says ‘learner received immediate attention and was in stable condition’
