E-Paper
Pathankot: ‘Denied’ entry into ward, woman forced to give birth in hospital’s corridor
Victim’s husband said his wife was ‘denied’ admission to ward and Pathankot civil hospital’s staff referred her to Amritsar after which she was forced to give birth in corridor ; SMO denies allegations of callous attitude of staff
A 38-year-old pregnant woman, who was allegedly denied admission to the labour room, was forced to give birth to her baby girl on the floor of the Pathankot civil hospital’s corridor on Tuesday night.
A video clip in which the woman along with her newly born baby girl is seen lying on the floor has also gone viral on social media. In the purported video, the victim woman’s husband is also seen saying that they were thrown out of the labour room by the staff. The video was shot apparently by fellow patients. The person making the video is also heard alleging that the hospital’s senior medical officer (SMO) had refused the staff to admit the pregnant woman.
The incident took place at 11:30 pm on Tuesday when Jangi Lal (51), a labourer, of Pipli Mohala in Pathankot brought her pregnant wife to the hospital using the 108-Ambulance service.
“My wife was suffering from labour pain and I took her there for the delivery. Instead of admitting my wife, the hospital staff rudely behaved and closed the labour room’s doors. They asked me to take my wife to Amritsar. The driver of the ambulance had also requested the staff to admit my wife, but to no avail,” Jangi Lal said while talking to HT over the phone.
He said, “It was not possible for me to take my wife to Amritsar during the night. I was left with no other option, but to depend on the mercy of the hospital staff. My wife was crying in pain while lying on the floor, but no staff member came to provide us even a bed”.
“It was like a miracle that my wife gave birth to a baby girl without the support of any of the staff members. Even after the birth, no staff member came to the fore for caring for the newborn and her mother. After a few minutes, a sweeper of the hospital came and took the child to the labour room. We were forced to come back to our home at 3:30 am,” said Jungi Lal, who migrated to Pathankot from Kathua four years ago. It was the couple’s third child.
The victim’s husband demanded action against the hospital staff and the management for their callous behaviour. He said, “Due to the inhuman behaviour of the hospital staff, I could have lost the lives of my wife and the baby.”
He also alleged that the staff members also threatened him to call the police if they don’t leave the hospital.
The hospital’s senior medical officer (SMO), Dr Sunil has denied the allegations of the callous attitude of the staff but admitted that the woman had given birth on the floor. He said, “The woman was nine-month pregnant, but she had never undergone her medical tests and ultrasound. As soon as they came to the hospital, we asked them to conduct medical tests required for delivery from a lab which is in tie-up with us for giving free service, but the woman’s husband refused this. He was in an inebriated state and even refused to let his wife admitted to the labour room.”
He said they were trying to locate the victim for further medical treatment, but the woman’s husband has not been attending their call.
