Madhya Pradesh woman loses newborn at health centre after delivery with sanitary worker's help

Several calls made to get an ambulance failed as none responded. Doctor on duty went to write an exam.

A 32-year-old woman lost her newborn after delivering the baby with the assistance of a sanitation worker at a primary health care centre in Kharai village in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, The Indian Express reported.

A general ward is seen inside a government Primary Health Centre. (Representative image)(REUTERS)

Sanjay Rishiwar, a district health officer, claimed the doctor was attending his exam, so there was no attending doctor at the primary health centre. The sweeper (who helped with the delivery) has been terminated from service, he said.

The woman, Rani Ojha, experienced labour pains around 9am Sunday. Several calls made by her husband to get an ambulance failed as none arrived on time.

She was finally taken to a nearby primary healthcare centre by a private vehicle only to find that no doctor or nurse was present to attend her.

“We did not get an ambulance even though I called for one many times. So, we had to rely on a private vehicle to reach here (the health centre). There was no doctor or any staff here. The delivery took place, but the child died,” the husband Ram Sevak Ojha said.

They managed to reach the healthcare centre by 12.30pm. As no healthcare staff was present, a woman sanitation worker took the woman to the labour room.

Rani gave birth to a girl, but the child died minutes later due to lack of timely medical assistance.

The woman sanitation worker, who had been terminated from service, told local media that doctors and nurses do not report to duty on Sundays.

Several instances of lacking healthcare facilities have been reported from Madhya Pradesh. In June, videos surfaced in social media showed rats roaming around a government run hospital in Gwalior city, prompting authorities to order effective pest control measures.