Pathankot Civil Hospital keeps probe report under wraps

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, October 4

The much-awaited report probing the events that led to a middle-aged woman giving birth in the corridor of the local Civil Hospital is being kept under wraps for reasons best known to the top echelons of the health faculty.

The woman, who along with her husband had arrived at the hospital for the delivery, suddenly found herself virtually abandoned by the staff. Amid the commotion and confusion, she was referred to an Amritsar hospital, 150 km away. However, she gave birth to a baby barely metres away from the comfort of the labour room.

When the probe was announced, the authorities had gone overboard to claim that it would be done in a transparent manner. However, when it came to disclosing the contents yesterday, the top brass said the report would be finalised on Tuesday.

Today again, the senior staff started passing the buck from one doctor to another before Dr Raj Kumar, chairman of the probe committee, made it clear that “the report had been sent to the Health Director”.

Doctors say they fear some of them might be implicated just to show the world that “all is well with the hospital”.

Keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter, Civil Surgeon Dr Rubinder Kaur, who was on leave when the incident occurred, had to cut short her holiday to join duty.

Some doctors claimed the woman’s husband was drunk. A section of doctors, however, claimed even if he was drunk, the staff had no right to deny his wife proper treatment.

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