BMC sets up committee to probe mother and child deaths in its hospital due to alleged negligence

BMC forms committee to review deaths of woman and newborn at Bhandup maternity hospital due to alleged lack of facilities and medical negligence.

Mumbai: A day after the death of a 26-year-old woman and her newborn due to an alleged lack of facilities at a civic-run maternity hospital in Bhandup, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) formed a maternal mortality committee to review the deaths. The deceased, from Bhandup, was expecting her first child and was taken to Sushma Swaraj maternity home where she went into labour on the night of April 29.

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While the newborn was declared dead soon after his birth on April 30 around 12.30 am, the mother was transferred to the corporation’s tertiary care LTMG Sion hospital where she later died. The deceased’s family approached an ex-corporator over the lack of facilities at Sushma Swaraj maternity home and how the delivery was done with the help of the torch since there was no electricity.

The ex-corporator and deceased’s relatives later approached Bhandup police station to register alleged medical negligence claiming the doctors should have either transferred her to a private hospital or to Sion Hospital instead of operating her when there was no electricity.

Dr Daksha Shah, executive health officer, BMC said, “The inquiry committee will conduct a maternal mortality review. It’s a committee of 12 members which includes gynaecologists from the Association of gynaecologists, an Indian Medical Association (IMA) representative, experts from medical colleges, anesthetists, surgeons. They will review the case in detail and the report will be submitted in a week.”

A senior doctor from the maternity hospital, who did not wish to be quoted, said the electricity did go off and there was an issue with the generator. “Surgery was almost done when the electricity went off. They had to rely on the torch as the generator gave problems. It is not the doctor’s fault. The generator was repaired on the same day. The engineer had visited the hospital to check on the generator the previous day also,” said the doctor.