A doctor in China delayed surgery to deliver a baby as the date was considered "inauspicious", causing the baby to die three days after it was born.
The family has claimed doctor Zeng Yuanna at the People's Hospital in Yangjiang in Guangdong province refused to operate Aug 13 as that date was the "Ghost Festival" according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
Though the 32-year-old mother had requested a Caesarean section, the hospital claimed the family insisted on postponing surgery by a day, fearing the inauspicious day was unlucky for the baby, the Shanghai Daily reported.
The family on the other hand said that when Li Xiaoqin showed signs of labour Aug 12, the doctor asked her to delay surgery as operating on the Ghost Festival would bring bad luck.
When nurses prepared Li for surgery Aug 14, they could not hear the baby's heartbeat. The baby was later born in a critical condition and died three days later.