Cuttack: The Orissa Human Rights Commission expressed concern over reports of a tribal woman giving birth to a baby in a drain in Koraput district and directed the collector and chief district medical officer (CDMO) to probe the matter.
Acting on a petition filed by rights activist Ranjit Sutar, the rights body Wednesday asked the district collector and CDMO to submit the probe report in four weeks.
The tribal woman, who hails from Janiguda in Mastipur panchayat of Koraput, was admitted to the hospital. She was left unattended to even when she got her labour pains. The hospital authorities allegedly asked the woman’s family members to show the card given to her under Mamata scheme and prescriptions. As the family members failed to produce the required documents, the hospital authorities refused to treat the woman.
The woman, meanwhile, sat in an unused drain near the hospital where she gave birth to a girl child. The woman had fallen ill following the delivery.
The rights activist alleged that the incident had violated the human rights of the woman.
He urged the rights body to ensure such incidents do not recur, demanded action against the officials responsible for it and compensation to the woman.
PNN