Gurgaon: Hope the government ensures such an incident does not happen again: Munni’s husband

Bablu, a daily wage earner, reacts to a showcause notice issued to three members of staff at the Civil Hospital who denied admission to his pregnant wife on February 9, forcing her to deliver a baby outside the emergency ward.

After reports emerged of three staff members at Civil Hospital being issued showcause notices for termination of service, Bablu, the husband of Munni, a 25-year-old woman who was forced to deliver a baby outside the emergency ward on February 9, said that the action taken was justified as it put the lives of his wife and daughter in danger.

25-year-old Munni was allegedly denied admission by officials at the Civil Hospital in Gurgaon for failing to produce a copy for her Aadhaar card, even though she furnished her UID number. In labour, the woman delivered a baby girl outside the hospital’s emergency ward on February 9. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Munni was allegedly denied admission by officials at the Civil Hospital in Gurgaon for failing to produce a copy for her Aadhaar card, even though she furnished her UID number.

Bablu said his family was fortunate but many others in a similar position may not be.

“I was lucky that both my wife and daughter are here today after officials refused to admit my pregnant wife. I hope the government takes note of this and ensures that such an act is not repeated. The poor have little choice aside from putting faith in government establishments for treatment,” Bablu, a daily wage earner and resident of Sheetla Colony, said.

Members of the medical fraternity also echoed Bablu’s sentiments. However, they added that the inquiry committee must hear versions of both the patient and the staff, before taking action.

“In today’s world, actions such as denying entry to an emergency patient are unacceptable as the first priority in the case should have been to save the mother and the child. While officials need to determine the sequence of events to come to a conclusion, they also need to weigh the version of staff members before taking any final decision,” Dr Anil Hans, secretary of the Indian Medical Association, Haryana, said.

Residents, however, felt that the government must take sterner action against the guilty to ensure patients from economically weaker sections (EWS) are not turned away.

“Right to urgent hospitalisation is a basic right of citizens. It cannot be denied under any circumstance. Having said that, there is an urgent need to reform and increase the capacity of public hospitals. Besides, private hospitals should be mandated to treat a fixed percentage of patients from EWS and the government needs to follow up on this,” Shubhra Puri, founder, Gurgaon First, citizen’s initiative for sustainable development, said.