Dombivali hospital declares minor pregnant, family outraged

THANE: The family of a 16-year-old has alleged that doctors at a civic hospital in Dombivali conducted a pregnancy test on the girl without her consent and declared her pregnant based on “faulty” tests

THANE: The family of a 16-year-old has alleged that doctors at a civic hospital in Dombivali conducted a pregnancy test on the girl without her consent and declared her pregnant based on “faulty” tests. After they raised objections, commissioner of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation’s (KDMC) Abhinav Goel ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The Class 12 student was taken to the civic-run Shastri Nagar Hospital with complaints of low haemoglobin and heavy bleeding on July 30. Dipesh Mhatre, a KDMC corporator, alleged, “The resident medical officer (RMO) conducted two tests - two strip tests and a sonography - to determine whether she was pregnant. They were apparently conducted without the consent of the family or the girl. They were then told the teenager was pregnant.”

The family has demanded action against the hospital and that a criminal case be filed against the doctors involved. They claimed a pregnancy test subsequently conducted at a private hospital produced a negative result, said Mhatre. The issue was raised during the KDMC Standing Committee meeting on Monday.

KDMC’s chief health officer Dr Deepa Shukla said, “The doctor conducted a urine pregnancy test (UPT), which showed a weakly positive result. He conducted an ultrasound and other tests to confirm the pregnancy.” Shukla said, adding that she could not comment further as an investigation is underway.