Delivery incident: Pathankot MLA pulls up Civil Hospital doctors

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, September 30

A day after Pathankot Civil Hospital doctors got their fingers burnt by creating a ruckus after a middle-aged pregnant woman entered the health centre for her delivery, local BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma visited the hospital and took the erring staff to task.

The legislator met Civil Surgeon (officiating) Dr Aditi Salaria and questioned her on the reasons for the lapse. Dr Salaria maintained a stoic silence for most part of the proceedings. The MLA was quick to remind her that during his stint as a legislator from 2012 till 2017, “the same hospital was ranked No. 1 among all government hospitals of Punjab.”

He confronted Dr Vyoma Wadhera, the gynaecologist on duty that night, and curtly told her: “You could have done better by at least providing the woman with a piece of clothing so she could cover herself.”

Earlier, the MLA visited the house of the woman in the slum area of Pippla Mohalla.

Interestingly, some staff members visited the couple late yesterday night. On whose directions did they go and what was their motive is unclear as nobody was willing to speak on the visit.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said: “I fear the truth might get buried under the plethora of probes ordered by the state government. In any case, such inquiries are a farce. I demand a High Court-monitored inquiry,” he added.

Randhawa ridiculed the doctors’ claims that the woman had not brought her test reports when she reported for delivery. “The rule is that in emergency situations, reports are not needed. It is a normal occurrence to hear women giving deliveries at railway stations or bus stands. That such an incident occurred in a hospital is shameful, to say the least,” he quipped.

“Where is Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra? He has not spoken even a single word so far. Should his silence be construed as a form of protection to the erring staff?” questioned Randhawa.

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