A 30-year-old woman delivered a child in the hospital premises in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Saturday after doctors allegedly refused to attend to her claiming she was COVID-19 positive, triggering outrage.
The family members of the woman said she was scheduled to deliver today but the doctors refused to admit her citing COVID-19 despite her condition being very critical and evident to everyone.
The eye witnesses, who included patients and their attendants, described the scene as “ugly and inhuman” on part of the hospital administration.
Nasir Ahmad, an eye witness, said: “She cried in pain for half an hour and delivered in a pool of water at the hospital gate while her relatives tried to hide her in the blankets amid rain.”
The husband of the woman, Abdul Aziz Bhat, said as they took her to the first floor after arriving from their native Vewan village in a private vehicle in the gynae section at around 10:00 am, the doctors there refused to admit her despite her “condition being evident to everyone.”
Another dejected woman, Rubeena, who witnessed the incident, said that she saw her delivering among the public. “There was no doctor or paramedical staff to attend her. She was forced to deliver in the hospital premises. All men saw her giving birth to a baby, it is a shame. I am myself attending an expecting relative,” she said.
Medical officer, Dr Soiba, who attended to the pregnant woman, told Greater Kashmir that the patient had tested positive for COVID-19.
“I referred her to CHC Hajin where COVID19 positive patients from the district deliver, but due to unknown reasons they didn’t get into the ambulance and delivered on the road,” she said.
Dr Soiba added: “She was not rejected treatment but was even administered injections and line before being shifted, however, unfortunately, her pregnancy precipitated which resulted in her unexpected delivery.”
Soiba said an FMPHW staff member attended to her as she was delivering and also cut her placenta. “The incident was unfortunate and we are sorry for it,” adding that such incidents can happen anywhere.
Medical superintendent Bandipora hospital, Dr Bashir Ahmad Teeli said that as her report came positive I received a call around 11:00 am for shifting her.
“I immediately phoned the 108 free ambulance. Meanwhile, the patient came downstairs but her labor precipitated in the hospital ground,” he said.
He claimed that all the staff attended to her while delivery was being performed.
The authorities said that the delivery was normal and the baby and child were stable. “As a precautionary measure, we are shifting the mother to COVID hospital at Pazalpora,” said Dr Bashir.
According to the woman’s husband, this was their fourth child.
Meanwhile, Dr Owais Ahmad, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora has issued a show-cause notice to Medical Superintendent and Medical Officer DH Bandipora who were on duty.
He has also constituted a committee of officers headed by ACR to enquire into the matter and submit a report within a week’s time.