Review of Neonatal Department – Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh (Dr. Kaushaki Shankar & NICU Staff)
Our baby was admitted under Dr. Kaushaki Shankar in the NICU at Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. Initially, she insisted on admitting the baby urgently due to high jaundice/pilia concerns, even though bilirubin levels were under 20 (around 15 for a 7-day-old baby). Phototherapy was given, and thankfully the results were good – no issue there.
However, what really raised concern was the way more than 30+ tests were done on a newborn, which seemed excessive and more like a way of inflating bills than actual medical necessity. On top of that, the rotavirus test was done very late, and only after that “positive” result we were told the baby had to remain in NICU longer. This pattern felt fishy and left us questioning whether the intention was genuine care or simply prolonging admission for billing.
Another very serious issue was the unprofessionalism of the nursing staff. Nurses were often laughing loudly, chatting, and even joking on the floor. One night, when a male doctor was seriously explaining something important to us, even he got visibly irritated because the nurses’ chaos made it impossible for us to listen properly. This is unacceptable behavior in a sensitive NICU environment where parents are already stressed.
Overall, Dr. Kaushaki Shankar came across as extremely money-minded, and I would not recommend her to anyone. The hospital’s top management must also look into the unprofessional behavior of the NICU staff – they can easily verify this through CCTV footage.
When it comes to newborn care, parents expect empathy, professionalism, and transparency. Sadly, our experience was the opposite.