Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government on May 13 ordered dismissal of the three arrested employees of a government maternity hospital, which was in the eye of a storm over baby-swapping case.

The employees -- staff nurse Swarna Mary, health assistant Suryakala and ward boy Surendra Raju – were arrested by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths on May 12 for their role in the disappearance of a baby boy from the hospital and his swapping with a baby girl, official sources said.

Along with the staffers of Nayapul maternity hospital, another person identified as Shaik Naseer, husband of Mahmooda Begum, from whom the male child was recovered, was also taken into custody.

The decision to dismiss the hospital staff was taken at a meeting the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had at his residence on May 14 to review the baby-switching case that has evoked a wide public outrage in the state.

After examining the investigation report that highlighted the chinks in the hospital administration and callous attitude of the staff, Naidu ordered immediate dismissal of the guilty staff invoking Article 311.

The Chief Minister instructed the officials of the Medical and Health and Home departments to put in place a foolproof mechanism to ensure that such incidents did not recur, the sources added.

PTI