The high court Wednesday sought the government’s response to a plea seeking judicial inquiry into the death of a newborn on a roadside in Srinagar in January this year after a pregnant lady from far-off Kupwara district was denied admission at the maternity Lal Ded hospital.
Father of the deceased child, Wazir Ahmad Gujjar Famda, from remote Moorie village has approached the high court through his advocate Shah Faisal seeking various directions to the government, like posting of specialist doctors including gynecologists in all district and sub-district hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as primary health centers, across the state.
The petitioner has also sought directions to the government to hold a time-bound enquiry by a sitting district judge into the death of his newborn child as well as into the circumstances in which his wife was denied admission at the LD hospital by doctors, forcing her to deliver baby on roadside who later died due to bone-chilling cold.
The petitioner has also sought directions to the senior superintendent of police Srinagar to register FIR against the negligent doctors under Ranbir Penal Code and Rs 50 lakh compensation for the “criminal and medical negligence”. He has sought all facilities including super-specialist doctors and adequate staff round-the-clock in hospitals of Kupwara and directions for upgrading the infrastructure of the district and sub-district hospitals Kupwara.
After hearing the petitioner, a bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar issued notice to divisional commissioner Kashmir/Jammu; director health services Kashmir/ Jammu; senior superintendent of police Srinagar; principal government medical college Srinagar/Jammu; and superintendent, LD hospital, seeking their response to the petition.
On January 17 this year, Surayya Begum, who was 34-weeks pregnant, was rushed to primary health center Kalaroos by her relatives, from where she referred to district hospital Kupwara, where doctors sent her to LD hospital in Srinagar. She was denied admission at the LD hospital by a doctor who was later held guilty of negligence by an official panel, which is probing the case further.