Woman delivers in hospital parking

Moga, October 10

In a case of alleged gross negligence on part of the authorities, a woman today gave birth to a child at the district hospital parking lot without any assistance from doctors or paramedical staff.

The woman, who works at a brick-kiln, walked to the hospital with her husband, but the doctors referred her to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, claiming she had acute anemia. As the family came out of the maternity ward after a check-up, the woman went into labour and gave birth to a child on the ground. Shakuntala Devi, patient’s mother, alleged the doctors who attended to her advised her to go for Cesarean section at the Faridkot hospital, even as the facility was available at the district hospital.

Ravinder Kumar, patient’s brother, alleged the doctors did not attend to his sister properly. “It was a normal delivery, that too without medical assistance. How come C-section was advised by the doctors?” he said, while urging the Punjab Government to take legal action against the erring doctors. Senior Medical Officer Rajesh Attri said the doctors had referred her to the Faridkot hospital due to high risk, but the family desired to take her to a private hospital. “They wasted time,” he added. The authorities later claimed they had admitted the woman and her child to the hospital and both were doing fine. — TNS