HC directs state, BMC to consider a helpline for pregnant women after lockdown

The Bombay high court on Friday directed that the state and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to consider setting up a separate helpline for pregnant

The Bombay high court on Friday directed that the state and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to consider setting up a separate helpline for pregnant women after the lockdown period. The directions were issued after a petitioner brought to the notice of the court that a pregnant woman had to deliver her child at home with the help of a midwife as she was turned away by three hospitals and a maternity home. The BMC had been asked to submit a list of maternity homes and clinics and the number of deliveries done there since the lockdown.

HT Image

The division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice S S Shinde made the suggestion while hearing a PIL filed by advocate Mohiuddin Vaid. Vaid had referred to a news report wherein an expecting woman was refused admission to J J hospital on April 27, as she did not have a Covid-19 negative report. The petitioner had sought directions to the state and civic bodies to put in place appropriate measures for pregnant women during the pandemic.

While the state refuted the news report and said that five pregnant women had been admitted on April 27, the BMC on the May 15 directions of the bench submitted an affidavit enumerating the names and particulars of maternity homes and clinics in the city that were attending to pregnant women. The list contained the names of maternity homes and clinics attending to COVID-19 and non–Covid patients including pregnant women and number of deliveries conducted by medical institutions since the lockdown was enforced.

Senior counsel Anil Sakhare, for the BMC, said that the information was available on the dashboard of its website and also submitted that a dedicated Covid helpline number 1916 had been started.

When the petitioner demanded that there must be a separate helpline for pregnant women, the BMC submitted that it would not be possible as the 1916 helpline was already being handled by 12 doctors in three shifts.

After hearing submissions, the bench accepted the contentions of the BMC and disposed of the PIL noting that in future, the BMC and state government should consider setting up a separate helpline for pregnant women.

The affidavit filed by the corporation with regards to the deliveries conducted during the period of lockdown stated, “there have been 3905 deliveries in March, 4169 deliveries in April and about 2412 deliveries till the date of affirmation of the affidavit, of which about 359 patients tested positive for COVID-19. Such COVID-19 positive patients have been treated in special facilities.”

In light of the submissions in the affidavit, the court held, “The number of deliveries performed during the past three months provides reason to hold that the contentions urged by Sakhare and Chavan are sound and that there has not been any reported incident of negligence does not call for judicial intervention on this PIL petition.”

The court however observed, “ We, therefore, dispose of this PIL petition expressing hope and trust that the State and Corporation shall continue in its efforts to ensure that expecting ladies are well attended to even in these testing times and that maximum care is taken so that not only the mother but the newborn child does not face difficulties till such time normalcy is restored.”