close_game
close_game

Pregnant woman from Covid-19 red zone made to switch hospitals, dies

Hindustan Times, Hyderabad | By
Apr 28, 2020 07:14 PM IST

The woman’s new-born baby also died of respiratory disorders, a day before she died fighting anaemia and hypertension. The deceased was identified as Jenila, from Yapadinne village of Gadwal district in Telangana.

A 20-year old woman died in Hyderabad on Monday night, a day after delivering a baby boy, as she was forced to move from one hospital to another in three days to rule out the possibility of her being Covid-19 infected, her relatives said.

Telangana state human rights commission ordered an inquiry into the death of the woman after she was forced to move from one hospital to another because she hailed from Covid-19 affected zone in Gadwal. (Reuters )
Telangana state human rights commission ordered an inquiry into the death of the woman after she was forced to move from one hospital to another because she hailed from Covid-19 affected zone in Gadwal. (Reuters )

The woman’s new-born baby also died of respiratory disorders, a day before she died fighting anaemia and hypertension. The deceased was identified as Jenila, from Yapadinne village of Gadwal district in Telangana.

Mahendar, the woman’s husband, told reporters that she went into labour on April 24 and was rushed to district hospital at Gadwal, where doctors referred her to a bigger hospital at Kurnool in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state, which is around 50 km away, as she was suffering from severe anaemia and blood pressure.

However, Mahender could not take her to Kurnool, which was under complete lockdown as it has highest number of positive cases for Covid-19 (332 cases and nine deaths till Tuesday) in the state and the only government hospital in the town has been converted into a Covid-19 speciality hospital.

Having no other option, he managed to move her to Mahabubnagar government hospital, about 60 km away, thanks to the ambulance arranged by the Gadwal police.

But the doctors at Mahabubnagar also did not want to take risk, as the couple hails from Gadwal, which also has a high incidence of Covid-19 (45 positive cases and one death) cases. They asked him to shift her to Government Maternity Hospital, Koti, in Hyderabad.

On April 25, Jenila was brought to Hyderabad and taken to Koti hospital, where the doctor suggested that she be first tested for Covid-19 virus, as she had come from Gadwal, declared as a red zone. She was rushed to Gandhi Hospital, the designated hospital for Covid-19 in Secunderabad, for the test.

A day later, Jenila tested negative and from Gandhi, she was shifted to the government maternity hospital, Petla Burz, where she gave birth to a baby boy.

Since the child was also weak and had some respiratory problems, he was shifted to Niloufer Children’s Hospital, but died later that evening.

As Jenila’s condition also became critical, she was shifted to Osmania General Hospital, where she died at around 8.30 pm on Monday.

“Had the doctors treated her as an emergency case and given her the best treatment in time, she would have survived. It was because of their negligence and delay in treating her on suspicion of Covid-19, she died,” Mahender told reporters.

Osmania Hospital superintendent Dr Nagender and Petla Burz maternity hospital superintendent Md Osman could not be reached for reaction.

Meanwhile, Telangana state human rights commission ordered an inquiry into the death of the woman after she was forced to move from one hospital to another because she hailed from Covid-19 affected zone in Gadwal.

It directed the state government and superintendents of all the hospitals to submit a report on the incident by June 16.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
See More
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On